Towson University issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place order Sunday evening, telling students on campus to close and lock windows and doors. The alert said, "This is not a drill," and told people to await further direction from local authorities.
The alert reached campus at September 27, 2026, 8:19 PM EDT. Students were also told to "Report anything unusual to the police," a sign that the response depended on quick reporting from anyone who saw something out of place.
Towson University alert details
The order covered the entire campus, not a single building. That makes the instruction immediate and broad: stay inside, secure rooms, and hold off on moving around until someone with authority gives the next step.
For anyone already on campus, the practical instruction was simple. Close and lock windows and doors, treat the message as urgent, and do not assume the notice was routine. The language left no room for delay, and the message made clear that this was being handled as an active safety situation.
Sunday evening response
No other information was immediately provided. A crew from CBS News Baltimore was headed to the scene to find out more, while the campus alert itself gave the only direct instructions available at the time.
The remaining question is the one students and staff would want answered first: what prompted the shelter-in-place order at Towson University. Until that is made clear, the alert itself is the operational guide — stay put, lock down, and follow the next direction that comes.
