HutchCC Has Paid Attention to Swatting Incidents at Other Colleges

By Lizzie Rush
Editor In Chief
IG: @liz.rush

Everyone has experienced a prank at some point in their life. Whether that be pouring water on their friend while they’re asleep or putting a marble in someone’s gas tank, pranks have often been meant to be a harmless, laughable matter

But recently across the United States, there has been a new wind of “pranks” that are enticing fear and panic amongst college students.

In the wake of the 2025 fall semester, several major universities have been the victims of swatting incidents. These swat calls have occurred on several campuses including Villanova University, University of South Carolina, and Kansas State.

“It’s not a fun little prank,” said Hutchinson Community College’s Jolene Bell, a Rose Hill sophomore. “That’s terrifying and people can die from it. And I think if you do call something like that, you should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

These incidents have occurred after local authorities received notice that a shooter is on campus, but after thorough investigations and a swat team, these calls have ended up being nothing but a prank.

“People need to take a lesson in comedy, listen to Eddie Murphy. Listen to Bo Burnham. Like that’s comedy. These are not jokes. These are life threatening situations that you’re putting people in against their will,” Bell said.

HutchCC is aware of these disturbances across campuses and actively monitoring for any similar situation.

“These types of situations are concerning,” said Dana Hinshaw, HutchCC’s Executive Director of Student Affairs and Campus Safety. We realize that any campus across the country, including ours, could be a target of a swatting attack. The intent of these attacks is to cause large-scale deployment of SWAT teams and other police resources to a site, as well as to incite panic, disrupt normal operations and potentially harm individuals.”

Hinshaw said that in the event HutchCC does experience one of these false swattings, the campus safety team is in coordination with the local police department and will follow any protocols necessary.

“I highly suggest that our students download the DragonAlert App. There are so many great features on the app, aimed at keeping our campus community safe,” Hinshaw said. “If an incident occurs, we ask that the HutchCC community remain calm and follow directions from authorities, even if you believe it is a ‘Swatting’ incident.  The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remain our top priority.”

Authorities do not yet know who is responsible for these fake swatting calls, but they do believe they are all linked to the same group.

“I don’t want my tax funds going to some harmful prank when you could have just dumped a bucket of water on someone while they were sleeping,” Bell said.

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