Northeastern’s Boston campus secure and open, support services provided after Tuesday incident

Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Northeastern University’s Boston campus is secure and open, and students, faculty and staff are being provided additional support services after an incident inside Holmes Hall on Tuesday night.

No students were injured. A staff member was treated at a local hospital for a minor hand injury after handling a hard plastic case.

The incident is being investigated by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in coordination with Northeastern Police.

Holmes Hall, located at 39 Leon St., was evacuated as a precaution shortly after 7 p.m. and evening classes in nearby buildings were canceled. Several notifications were sent to the campus community urging people to avoid the area and to provide ongoing updates.

At a press conference outside Boston Police headquarters, Michael Davis, the chief of the Northeastern University Police Department, said that an officer responded to Holmes Hall within one minute of the 911 call.

The FBI, Boston Bomb squad and additional law enforcement are on Northeastern University’s Boston campus on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022 investigating an incident at Holmes Hall that took place Tuesday night. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern Universtity

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said the Boston Police Department would assist Northeastern police in ensuring the safety of students and residents.

“It’s very important to note that our campus is secure, and we will maintain a secure campus in perpetuity,” Davis said.

Northeastern is increasing patrols and security across the campus, which is open and fully operational. Classes, research and all other campus activities have resumed.  

David Madigan, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Kenneth Henderson, chancellor and senior vice president for learning, updated the Northeastern community on Wednesday morning.

“Events such as the incident that took place on our Boston campus last night can create or heighten anxiety for many of us,” they said. “We would like to underscore what was communicated to our community last night: Multiple law enforcement agencies have determined that the campus is safe and secure.”

For students living in campus housing, Residential Life staff are available to engage in conversations with students and provide support resources. They will also have open office hours for students looking for support. 

Additionally, confidential counseling is available for students and staff. Students can contact University Health and Counseling Services located on Forsyth Street or by calling 617-373-2772. 

UHCS also has a mental health support service called Find@Northeastern that offers students access to a licensed mental health clinician at any time from any location in the world by calling 877-233-9477 (U.S.), 855-229-8797 (Canada) and +1-781-457-7777 (International). 

Student support is also available from the Center for Spirituality Dialogue and Service at 617-373-2728, and from the We Care team in Student Affairs at wecare@northeastern.edu or 617-373-7591. Faculty and staff can contact the Employee Assistance Program at 800-624-5544.