University of Iowa students alarmed by nationwide surge in hoax shooting calls

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) —

Since Thursday, at least 11 colleges and universities have experienced “swatting” incidents - the term for calls made about shootings or other public safety threats that aren’t actually happening .

On Monday, the Iowa State University police department received two calls claiming there was an active shooter on campus .

Schools such as Villanova University and the University of South Carolina have also experienced similar calls, with students taking cover and police responding to the campus but not finding a threat.

As university students make their way to classes for the first weeks of the fall semester, these fake calls can cause worry.

Though no swatting has occurred at the University of Iowa during this first week of classes, students are still nervous