The University of Arkansas was one of four universities to receive false active shooter reports Monday.

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As fall semester classes get underway, colleges and universities have faced a cascade of so-called swatting calls—false reports of serious crimes intended to trigger a large police response and the deployment of SWAT teams. At least seven colleges have investigated false reports of an active shooter on campus since last Thursday.

The calls, which one college leader characterized as a “cruel hoax,” have led to injuries on some campuses and forced some to shelter in place, sending students, faculty and administrators reeling.

At 12:27 p.m. Monday, University of Arkansas officials sent a campus alert telling students to avoid the Mullins Library “due to an act

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