Students at Western Michigan University (WMU) are lashing out at the school’s administration on social media after not receiving a security alert during Saturday night’s shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
At least six people were killed and two injured during the shootings, which occurred at several locations near the Western Michigan University campus.
Students posted on social media that they did not receive alerts about the shooting through WMU’s system, WMU Alerts, which notifies students via phone of nearby crimes or safety hazards.
Thanks #WMU for not alerting us , thx god I have friends who care , without them I would’ve been dead right now
— Y.H (@yaraeray) February 21, 2016
So I get a text from the university whenever there’s a gas leak but when there’s a mass murderer on the loose they send nothing #WMU
— Mom, its a joke (@midgeybridgey) February 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/AbstractAutumn/status/701459698000728065
However, some students speculated that the school did not notify students of the shooting because it did not occur on campus.
The fact that the WMU police couldn’t issue an alert last night because the shootings weren’t happening directly on campus is frustrating
— jasmine (@itsjazzyjeff) February 21, 2016
The Jeanne Cleary Act requires universities that receive federal funding to alert students of emergency situations on campus, but does not require notifications for incidents that occur off campus.
The Daily Dot contacted WMU to inquire about its decision not to issue an alert during the shooting, and will update if and when we hear back.
H/T MLive | Photo via John/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Remix by Max Fleishman
