BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 A bomb and active shooter threat prompted a campus-wide lockdown at California State University, Bakersfield on Monday, but many students say they never received an official alert.<\/p>\n
Freshman Madeline Ho says confusion set in while she was already in class.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne student got a lockdown text, so we all checked our phones. She was basically the only one who got it,\u201d Ho said. \u201cWe decided to barricade the door, lock it, and hide under our desks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ho says there were around 30 students in the classroom, but only a handful received emergency notifications.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly a few of us got messages, but most of us didn\u2019t get anything at all,\u201d she said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t even know if it was an active shooter or just a threat, so it was really scary.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to CSUB Police Chief Maricela Gonzalez, the alert failure was caused by a system error from FinalSite, a third-party vendor responsible for sending campus-wide alerts through text, email, and Canvas.<\/p>\n
\u201cA large part of the issue was the third-party vendor not properly processing all the names that needed to be added to the alert list,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cSome of it may have also been outdated contact information from students, staff, and faculty.\u201d<\/p>\n
That lack of updated information played a role in who received the alerts. Second-year art major Ducky Cortes says she isn\u2019t signed up for campus notifications.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t know what happened until later,\u201d Cortes said. \u201cI don\u2019t really keep up with school notifications. I just do my own thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other students learned about the lockdown directly from their professors. Senior music major Jonathon Cortes says his class was moments away from starting rehearsal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were about to start playing our ukuleles when our professor said, \u2018The school\u2019s calling me right now,\u2019\u201d Cortes said. \u201cHe listened to the voicemail, looked out into the hallway, and said, \u2018I think we\u2019re on lockdown, guys.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked how the university plans to move forward, Chief Gonzalez says the issue has since been addressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve worked with our third-party vendor to identify the issue, and they\u2019ve assured us it\u2019s now been fixed,\u201d she said. \u201cSince then, we\u2019ve continued testing and following up with people who experienced problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for some students, the incident raised concerns beyond technical failures. Jonathon Cortes says the situation exposed a lack of emergency preparedness on campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never had an active shooter drill,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had fire drills, so I thought it would be the same exiting the building. But instead, we had to barricade ourselves inside the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
University officials say they are continuing to review emergency procedures and are encouraging students to update their contact information to ensure they receive future alerts.<\/p>\n
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