Van Hollen, Cardin and Mfume announce $130,000 for mental health resources at Coppin State University following recent bomb threats

September 30, 2022

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced federal funding of $130,190 to the Department of Health’s Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program. Education for Coppin State University. This grant will help Coppin State University, a historically black university, recover from bomb threats the school received in February 2022. This award is part of a series that will go to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) who have experienced similar traumatic events, negatively affecting the mental health of students, teachers and school staff.

“There is no place in our communities for violent and racist behavior. These horrific racist bomb threats, which specifically targeted HBCUs around the start of Black History Month, had lasting emotional and psychological effects on the innocent students, faculty, and staff they threatened,” lawmakers said. “With this federal funding, we are taking an important step to help Coppin State strengthen its mental health resources for students facing these issues. traumatic events”.

Shortly after these threats occurred, Senators Cardin and Van Hollen wrote to the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), urging them to conduct their investigations into the incidents in a prompt and timely manner. efficient.

The SERV project funds short-term educational services for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to help them recover from a violent or traumatic event in which the environment of learning was disrupted. Coppin State University plans to use its SERV Project funds to hire a full-time counseling psychologist, who will provide individual and group counseling services. The funds will also be used for training all students, staff and faculty to simulate response activities, as well as resources to alleviate the stress and anxiety that such events can trigger.