In the wake of a recent shooting at a student housing complex, South Carolina State University is requesting an additional $8 million from state lawmakers to strengthen campus safety and security infrastructure. University officials say the funding would support expanded surveillance systems, improved campus lighting, increased patrol presence, and upgraded access control measures aimed at better protecting students, faculty, and staff.
The request comes after a troubling series of violent incidents over the past several months. In October, during the university’s homecoming festivities, 19-year-old Julia Butler was fatally shot near a campus dormitory. Another individual was injured that same weekend but survived. Last month, a separate shooting left two people dead and one person injured. The most recent incident marks the fourth shooting connected to the university community in less than a year.
In response, State Representative Hamilton Grant, a South Carolina State alumnus, has advanced the Campus Safety Act—legislation designed to standardize safety training and crime reporting procedures across public universities, technical colleges, and certain private institutions that receive lottery-funded tuition payments. The bill would require mandatory safety training for new students within their first 30 days on campus, covering topics such as personal safety awareness, emergency procedures, campus alert systems, and Title IX reporting protocols.
The proposed legislation would also mandate that institutions submit annual crime statistics to the state by January 31, publish the reports online, distribute them to students prior to the start of fall classes, and maintain crime data records for seven years. Additionally, campuses would be required to make nonconfidential safety plans publicly accessible.
While South Carolina State’s direct request totals $8 million, lawmakers are considering allocating up to $30 million in broader safety and infrastructure upgrades for historically Black colleges and universities statewide. However, according to U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, federal funding options for campus-specific security improvements remain limited.
“But the resources have got to come from elsewhere. I do what I can from the federal level. We have invested in the colleges and universities in this budget the way we have never invested before. But that’s got nothing to do with the safety. Because it’s kind of hard for me to get federal money to have security on campuses. It’s easy for the state to do it,” Clyburn said.
As university leaders and lawmakers weigh their next steps, students and families are calling for immediate action to restore a sense of safety and stability on campus. Administrators say the requested funding is not simply an upgrade but a necessary investment in protecting lives and preserving the academic mission of one of the state’s leading HBCUs.
