Houston, Texas (KTRK) – A large federal grant of nearly $200,000 has been directed to Texas Southern University to help improve campus safety and student security.
TSU is one of four historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, to receive this scholarship.
The safety issues began in early 2022, as the pandemic was about to end, when at least 36 HBCUs were receiving bomb threats. At least 18 colleges were targeted on February 1 alone, and experts say it was done on purpose on the first day of Black History Month.
Congress has held hearings on what the federal government can do to help make universities safer. The FBI also launched an investigation, describing the bomb threats against the HBCU as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes” and come at a time when hate crimes and other acts of violence are on the rise. According to an FBI report, hate crimes against black Americans increased by about 50% between 2019 and 2020.
The US Department of Education announced that the Project’s School Emergency Response to Violence, or SERV, will make the first grants to four HBCUs, including TSU, that have been disrupted by threats.
“Last year’s bomb threats targeting many historically black colleges and universities have traumatized campus communities, disrupted learning, and drained resources through costly campus closures, class cancellations, and law enforcement activities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
The scholarship will also be used to help the students to cope better.
“Our students will be able to receive mental health counseling, either via telehealth or in-person, for up to six visits,” said Dr. Michelle Penn Marshall, TSU Chief of Research and Development. “They can receive services through their cell phones, so it can be in a very safe place. You probably don’t want anyone to know that you are receiving this help. So, it is very important to their success that they do everything we can do academically and socially in the field of mental health.” .
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