On Sept. 6 at 10:42 a.m. students were alerted by the university that a man who possibly had a gun was headed toward campus.

Students were alerted via text and phone call but the thing missing from the alerts was a description of what to do.

We think that with all the shootings that happen in this country, Chico State needs to have a much more effective emergency plan.

Chico State currently has an emergency response guide, but many students don’t know it even exists.

Some students were concerned by the lack of preparedness on behalf of the school and the professors. The university could have communicated better on what to do in those types of situations. Whether students should stay inside, go home or even barricade doors.

Most professors did absolutely nothing and barely acknowledged the situation but even if they had the alert was too vague.

UPD Chief John Feeney sent out a campus-wide email on Sept. 7 explaining all of the information that he had at the time and why he made the decision he did.

“As your police chief, your safety and security is of my utmost concern. I clearly understand those of you who desired to have more information in the campus-wide alert regarding a possible suspect in this situation. I also understand the thoughts of others who felt that it was premature to put out a campus-wide alert at all due to the lack of information,” he said in the email.

President Hutchison also sent out an email shortly after Chief Feeney and explained that if anyone didn’t get the alert it was probably because they weren’t registered to receive the alerts in the first place.

The school failed to tell people what to do. Some students left campus, some stayed inside and some just went on with the day.

Had a man really been on campus with a gun, many would not have known what to do.

We believe that there should be mandatory drills so everyone knows the emergency protocol.

Schools across California have multiple earthquake and fire drills per year. Universities should spend more time preparing for emergencies like that of an active shooter. It is an unfortunate truth that gun violence happens much more frequently than earthquakes and fires.

A drill would ensure that all students knew exactly what to do if there was ever a threat of gunman on campus again.

The administration and professors should come up with an emergency plan and make sure everyone knows how to enact it.

A gunman on campus is something that we need to be prepared for. Students need to be informed about what to do and where to go during emergencies like this.