As Princeton sit-in over race issues ends, students face bomb threat

As Princeton University came to agreement with the students occupying the president's office in a 32-hour sit-in, school authorities received a bomb and firearm threat referencing student protests.

The school community was notified Thursday evening of the "non-specific bomb and firearm threat" in a message from its Department of Public Safety that the University Press Club tweeted at 9:20 p.m.

The alert said the department would be stepping up campus patrols and be "actively investigating the threat in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies."

The students — led by a group known as the Black Justice League —  were protesting what they said was the racist legacy of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson being celebrated on campus. They sought to have a mural removed and to have the school rename buildings and programs named for him.

Wilson, the 26th president of the United States, had been a president of Princeton starting in 1902. Some historians consider him among the nation's most racist presidents for his sympathy for the Ku Klux Klan, refusal to hire blacks in his administration and segregationist views. Cabinet heads in his administration re-segregated facilities in their buildings. He told a delegation of black professionals who came to the White House to protest its policies “segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit, and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen.”

Seventeen students signed the agreement to end the protest after the school agreed to revisit Wilson's legacy and consider the students' requests. According to a report by NJ.com, students involved said a call by Cornel West to college officials played a part in the agreement. The academic and activist is a former professor of African American Studies at Princeton. He'd offered support to the students during the protest.

“We appreciate the willingness of the students to work with us to find a way forward for them, for us and for our community,” University President Christopher L. Eisgruber Eisgruber said. “We were able to assure them that their concerns would be raised and considered through appropriate processes.”

In its agreement with the students, the school said it would consider the removal of Wilson's mural, and Eisgruber would recommend doing so. It would "initiate conversations concerning the present legacy of Woodrow Wilson on this campus, including Black Justice League’s request to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name," the school said.

The school promised to collect information on the campus community's opinion of the Woodrow Wilson School's name and then make a decision on whether to keep it. It also said it would make a "commitment to working toward greater ethnic diversity of memorialized artwork on campus."

The school made other concessions to the protestors — to provide rooms for cultural affinity groups and explore "affinity fousing for those interested in black culture;" and to enhance cultural competency training for staff.

No disciplinary action will be taken against the students, the school said.