Brown accused of ignoring campus security concerns

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Brown University has allegedly repeatedly downplayed or dismissed security concerns over the years, disregarding warnings from students, employees, and even law enforcement.

The scrutiny follows a deadly mass shooting on campus that left two students dead and nine others injured, prompting renewed criticism that the Ivy League institution has long prioritized reputation management over campus safety.

Students say the engineering building where the shooting occurred lacked basic access controls, including a swipe-card entry system, and could be entered freely through an attached public coffee shop. The building also did not have a security officer stationed at the entrance, unlike other campus facilities, university officials have acknowledged.

According to a timeline published by the student newspaper, 17 minutes elapsed between the initial 911 call and Brown’s first emergency alert to students on the day of the shooting.

Concerns about the university’s approach to safety have also been raised internally. Members of Brown’s own public safety staff have accused administrators of minimizing threats and delaying responses to dangerous situations.

In 2023, a university administrator allegedly declined to cancel a children’s reading event despite a campus safety officer warning of a credible shooting threat, an investigation by the student newspaper reported.

At the time, police in Bristol, Connecticut, alerted Brown officials that former assistant football coach Dennis “DJ” Hernandez, the older brother of convicted murderer and former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, was allegedly planning a mass shooting.

According to an arrest report from Bristol police, Hernandez had exhibited erratic behavior and told someone close to him that he had visited Brown’s campus to plan an attack. In messages later cited in a federal criminal complaint, Hernandez made explicit threats of violence and suggested mass shootings could be justified as a means for change.

Despite the warning, Brown’s Department of Public Safety dismissed the threat, stating it was not supported by what officials described as credible intelligence.

The children’s event, known as “Storytime with Elvy,” proceeded as scheduled. The university’s comfort dog, Elvy, ultimately did not attend after his handler withdrew in response to the reported threat. Brown publicly attributed the absence to a scheduling conflict.

Hernandez was later arrested and charged by federal prosecutors. He was sentenced in February to time served and three years of supervised release.

Earlier incidents raise similar concerns. In 2021, Brown allegedly declined to immediately notify Providence police after receiving a call from someone claiming to have planted bombs across campus and to be carrying an AR-15-style rifle, according to reporting by the Brown Daily Herald.

A K-9 unit was eventually called roughly an hour later, after campus safety officers pressed the issue. Another hour passed before the university issued a campus-wide alert.

One officer later alleged that the university altered his incident report to remove references to delays and concerns raised by security staff.

Michael Greco, a campus safety officer with 17 years of service, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the bomb threat and later filed a lawsuit against the university, according to court records.

In an email to administrators cited by the student newspaper, Greco warned that Brown’s focus on protecting its public image placed officers at risk, writing that the university’s approach amounted to “a willingness to gamble with our lives.”

In 2025 alone, security officers have issued two votes of no confidence against Brown’s police chief, Rodney Chatman, and the university’s Department of Public Safety.

An October editorial published by the Brown Daily Herald described the ongoing security failures as a “threat to public safety,” concluding that the university was falling short of its responsibility to protect students, staff, and visitors.