PITTSBURGH-  The number of bomb threats made against the University of Pittsburgh continues to climb, reaching over 50 since mid-February according to ABC News.

Last Wednesday, police arrested suspect Mark Lee Krangle, an alum of the University of Pittsburgh, on charges of harassment and terroristic activities. However, only hours after the arrest was made, two additional bomb threats targeted the campus.

With multiple bomb threats made against dormitory housing, libraries, and educational buildings on nearly a daily basis, students and faculty at the University of Pittsburgh have been forced to become accustomed to hours-long evacuations from buildings that disrupt regular activities and learning. Professors have sought alternative ways to carry on their courses, teaching in off-campus locations or via the Internet.

“They’ve been crazy, I’ve been in class when the alarms have gone off and my dorm building has been evacuated at 4am which is a terrible annoyance. My Italian teacher moved our final to online because she’s so worried. My parents are actually coming to get me tonight to take me home for the rest of the semester,” says sophomore student Novari Bailey on Thursday.

While the University of Pittsburgh police department has increased security on campus and has offered a $50,000 reward to anyone who can provide information, the number of bomb threats has not decreased; thus, the fear and paranoia of current and potential University students, professors, and their family members have increased.

“At first everyone thought it was a dumb stunt to get out of tests. Then it got annoying. And last week it really began to escalate and get scary because people began referencing similarities to the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings, and their upcoming anniversaries. A lot of people have left for the semester so it’s just an overall feeling of anxious waiting to see what happens next for everyone that is staying here,” says Lauren Butler, sophomore at the University.

Nevertheless, the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) ensures that everyone with a connection to the University, including students’ family members, receives a text and/or voice message with updates concerning potential terroristic threats and evacuations.

“As a future Pitt Panther, I have become frustrated with the bomb threats, but at the same time I have be reassured that Pitt has a campus with excellent communication through their ENS program, and from these dangerous times I am relieved to know that at all times Pitt has the student’s safety as their first priority. Also it has shown the supportive campus staff and alumni who have offered safe housing just off campus to many of the students who are being affected daily by these bomb scares,” says Alex Kajari, senior at North Penn High School to attend the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2012.

Whether students who remain on campus will be able to complete their courses without interruption remains to be seen. For now, professors and students continue to take every precaution, planning ahead for the possibility of further evacuations or cancelling classes altogether.