Mykel Del Angel/THE RIDER
Students in the Performing Arts Complex were evacuated out March 25 during a bomb threat investigation, but no campuswide alert was issued.
According to the UTRGV Office of Emergency Management website, emergency alert notifications are used to provide timely communication via text, email and official social media pages when University Police or Campus Safety and Security determines there is a high risk situation.
In a Wednesday email to The Rider, Patrick Gonzales, vice president for University Marketing and Communications, said no alert was issued because there was no confirmed immediate threat to the campus community.
“Under the Clery guidance the university follows, emergency notifications are issued when there is confirmation of an immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus community.”
The Rider asked what would trigger an emergency alert. Gonzales replied the university could not share the details, citing doing so could compromise public safety procedures.
UTRGV Police said it would not provide additional information because the incident remains under active investigation.
Some students said they learned about the incident through unofficial channels.
“I heard about it through social media, not directly through any alert system,” said Diego Sauceda, an electrical engineering graduate student. “I heard about it after the threat was made. The whole point of alert systems is to prepare people in advance for any sort of concern … even if it’s not something actively ongoing.”
Max Davila, a performance freshman who was present during the evacuation, said that while the situation was unsettling, he was more concerned about the disruption.
“It’s very damaging to the School of Music and the university,” Davila said. “It’s wasting valuable resources, you know, police officers, our time, our professors’ time and, overall, it’s very bad for morale’
Mykel Del Angel/THE RIDER
