Hate crimes are reserved for crimes against everyone BUT White christians.
I suspect that were the perpetrators' motives examined, they burned the Baptist churches because of their hatred of evangelical Christianity. They may possibly be homosexuals or under the influence of the Satanic aspects of the "Goth" culture. The fact that they may have some past affiliation with a Christian church or attend a Methodist college is meaningless if they were homosexuals or Satanists.
It is characteristic of government officials and their media allies to downplay a threat from "protected" classes. For example, anyone who verbalizes a fear of young black males is branded a racist. Black on white crimes exceeds the reverse by a huge margin, yet their crimes are rarely branded or prosecuted as "hate crimes." The recent attempt on the part of a Muslim to run down students at a North Carolina college was quickly hushed by the MSM even as they bilovate 24/7 about the "torture" inflicted on Muslim terrorists by GIs at various installations. Rest assured that had some Klansmen burned 10 black churches in Alabama (or even Pennsylvania), every resource of the Federal government would have been used to catch the perpetrators. When arrested, the MSM would spew forth endless diatribes about lingering racism in America, EEEEEEvil white males, etc.
Since the alleged felons are "fun loving students" and, of course, not homosexuals or Satanists, this story will fall off the national radar quickly.