Dietrick Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech.

UPDATE: The alert has now been lifted. The latest here.

UPDATE: Local sources are reporting that police were unable to find the man reported. University officials and authorities are asking the few thousand people on campus to remain inside until further notice. The individuals who claimed seeing the man are reportedly juveniles attending a summer day camp on the campus, though police say that the information the juveniles reported was “credible.”

An alert has been issued to students at Virginia Tech to stay inside and secure doors after three people witnessed a person with a gun near the campus’ Dietrick dining hall.

The university has released the following information about the alert:

“At 9:09 a.m. three juveniles attending a camp at the university reported seeing a white male, 6 feet tall, with light brown hair outside of New Residence Hall East holding what may have been a handgun. They say the weapon was covered by a cloth or covering of some sort. He was walking fast in the direction of the volleyball courts. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt (stripes were vertical), gray shorts and brown sandals. The subject had no facial hair or glasses.”

There is some word that the situation might be calming down, but obviously the university will remain on high alert as law enforcement is still looking for the man. Obviously, the alert brings back memories of the tragic day in 2007 when 32 people were killed by a gunman the school’s campus — the school put an alert system into place as a result of that massacre.

There will reportedly be a press conference at 11 a.m., and we’ll be sure to update with any information provided by the university.