'Bacone's Not Dead': New President Upset After Multiple Break-Ins, Vandalism At School

Bacone College in Muskogee has had a rough few years and is now closed after filing for bankruptcy. 

The historic college is one of the oldest in the state and served a lot of Native American students. 

Now, someone has broken into the school and created a huge mess. 

The new president is working on a plan to bring it back to life, and despite these latest setbacks, he's not giving up. 

Bacone College is empty right now, and the school is struggling after leaders were forced to file for bankruptcy.

Now, bad has gotten worse after three consecutive weeks of break-ins and vandalism.

“Whether people want to believe in Bacone or not, I don’t care. I do.”

Dr. Leslie Hannah became president of Bacone College this year, inheriting several years of issues.

“12 to 15 years ago, bad decisions were made, endowments were cashed in, property was sold," Hannah said.

Dr. Hannah said he has a good board of directors with high hopes to get the campus back up and running eventually, but it hasn’t been easy.

“We’re three weeks in a row we’ve been broken into, some building has been broken into, vandalized, or damaged.”

The damage is not only sad, but it's also expensive.

“Washing machines were pulled, water pipes were broken, there’s water damage, chairs busted," Hannah said.

Someone broke into the campus pantry and threw clothes, shampoo bottles and food over the balcony.

The vandals broke into rooms where records are kept, and Hannah thinks someone is angry they’re not getting their transcripts.

He said there is a simple process online to get them.

“Who breaks into a place like this to steal files unless that’s what you're after in the first place," he said.

“It’s angering," he said. "It’s like, how many times can you kick a place when it’s down.”

Criminals also broke into the maintenance room, took yard equipment, and vandalized the chapel.

Hannah said despite all this terrible news, he is optimistic about Bacone’s future, and said he has meetings with other universities for possible partnerships.

He hopes students can be back on campus Fall of 2025. 

“Bacone is still here," he said. "People think this old gal is dead, and they’re picking rotting carcasses. Well, Bacone is not dead. There is plenty of life in this old sister.”