UT San Antonio students were rattled from the recent swatting attempt at Main Campus, according to housing residents.
Late Tuesday evening on Aug. 27, students were evacuated from campus housing. There were two incidents, the first by the Main Building, and the second near campus housing, according to the two alerts sent out by UT San Antonio.
Mechanical Engineering freshman Alvaro Vargas, who was studying his microeconomics textbook at the time of the second incident, described hearing notifications go off and a ruckus outside his dorm. When he looked at his phone, he noticed messages from a family member asking if he was “OK” and multiple alerts from SafeZone, UT San Antonio alerts communications.
“An active/credible bomb threat has been reported at housing buildings on Main Campus. Leave all housing buildings,” the notification read.
“What if this is real? And I’ve been in here the whole time,” Vargas said. “What if it could’ve gone off right then and there?” Vargos continued, “It gave me a little scare.”
Resident Assistant, Micaya Boyd, majoring in Psychology, says RAs felt confused and unprepared.
“I’ve never been trained for a bomb threat. No one really knew what to do — for this kind of emergency.”
Along with confusion, Boyd describes the pressure and responsibility felt by RAs to ensure the safety of their residents.
“Even if this is not a bomb, this is a serious threat,” said Boyd. “There was a lot of pressure on RAs to figure out what to do. Battling with fight or flight reactions, we all had to maintain composure.”
This is not the first time UT San Antonio has experienced a bomb threat, which was later proven to be false. A previous instance occurred on Oct. 17, 2023.
When asked about the degree of discernment UT San Antonio Police Department uses when vetting these types of calls, Joe Izbrand, Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications and External Affairs, said, “The top priority of the UTSA Police Department is the safety of the campus community. All calls are treated seriously and officers immediately respond to assess the situation. At that point, additional actions may be warranted or an all-clear communicated.”
UT San Antonio Public Safety encourages students to add or update mobile phone numbers to receive timely notifications. Parents, friends or family members can sign up to receive guest notifications through the UTSA Alerts emergency notification system by texting UTSAGuest to 59713.
Swatting is a national issue. There has been a recent surge in August, with at least 20 universities in 14 states experiencing swatting, and some receiving multiple false reports, according to local media reports.
Psychology professor Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Ph.D., offered her expertise on how events like these affect college students.
“Students said buses weren’t running [at the time of the incident]. They didn’t feel like they could get any information. When you don’t know, the worst-case scenario plays out. It pierced everyone’s sense of safety.” McNaughton-Cassill said. “It leads to what-if thinking. What if things had turned out differently?”
McNaughton-Cassill encouraged students to prioritize sleep in times like these and offered guidance for students who may be experiencing lingering stress or anxiety about the event.
“Almost all college students are sleep-deprived. Studying is important, but there should be a balance. Do something social or fun — or something quiet and enjoyable by yourself. There are plenty of resources on campus.” McNaughton-Cassil continued. “There’s no such thing as a stress-free life. You have to figure out how to cope with the stress.”
Students can seek out services on campus such as Wellness 360 Counseling Services, or the Crisis Help Line for mental health support and well-being resources.
