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»¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓconsiders homecoming security options

Students listen to Chief Melvin Wililams. (Panther photo)

»¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓPolice Chief Melvin Williams says he looks forward to Sunday morning after the 2025 homecoming when he can exhale and say, “Thank God, we made it through another one without any issues.” 

Williams, executive director of public safety and emergency preparedness, was interviewed Oct. 16, a week after tragic events at neighboring South Carolina State University. During SC State’s homecoming, gunshots killed one person and injured two, with »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓstudents questioning reports that shots were fired also on their campus.  

“There was not a shooting on »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓproperty. I know that definitively, because not only have I looked at it, but the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and South Carolina State Police Department have also looked at it,” Williams said.

He said operators of drones over the area also confirmed there were no shots fired on Claflin’s campus.  

“One of the things that I encourage all of you to do is to hear what people are saying, but fact check it. Don't take it as being the truth until you have the ability to fact check.”

»¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓresponded to the SC State shooting incident on Oct. 4, Williams said. “When the incident occurred, we went into lockdown,” the same as SC State.

»¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓremained on lockdown until 7:30 the following morning to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.

Following the SC State incident, the big question now from students is how »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓwill approach safety for their November homecoming.  

“The most drastic option is canceling the tailgate,” Williams said. “One of the major things that we have seen as we do an analysis on all of the other events that have taken place around the country at HBCUs is always attached to an outside event that’s taking place.”  

While no final decisions have been made by President Dwaun J. Warmack and the administration, another action being considered is ending the tailgate early to avoid activity at night, Williams said.  

“The tailgate normally runs until 10 o'clock at night. When we look at and analyze what has happened at other institutions, what we find is, it is always after dark,” Williams said.

Williams also revealed that the university is evaluating alternative locations for the tailgate event.

“Right now, the tailgate is typically held in the gravel lot on Goff Avenue,” Williams said.  “We are looking at having it there, also moving it out on Goff Avenue.”

»¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓ recently acquired ownership of Goff Avenue between Clark Street and Magnolia Street, allowing for more flexibility in event planning. However, Williams said one of the biggest challenges is controlling access to that area.

“We have folks that have absolutely nothing to do with Claflin,” he said. “We are looking at running a 6 to 8-foot fence line around the entire area and having two or three entry points, where anyone coming into the tailgate area must come through one of those entry points.”

“Anyone coming through those checkpoints, we can put a wristband on them,” Williams said.

Williams said he has been in ongoing discussions with  Warmack about possible changes to the homecoming setup, including relocating the tailgate to the core of campus.

“Those are the ideas we are looking at, but again, being able to manage access to the campus,” Williams said.

Williams made it clear that he and his team are prioritizing safety.

“Our intent is to bring in the resources that are necessary to make sure that we have got enough people here to keep the campus safe.” 

And with »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓand SC State being separated only by a chain-link fence, security will also focus on that fence line.

“What happens at State, in essence, happens at Claflin. When there is an incident at that campus, that is considered a threat here,” Williams said.

Williams had a final message to homecoming attendees and guests of »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓstudents: “Respect our home. Don't come and try to turn our home upside down.”