STATESBORO — There were two separate shootings over the weekend and both of them happened less than a mile from the Georgia Southern University campus, yet there were no Eagle Alerts sent out.

One of the shootings was at Cambridge apartments and the other one happened about four hours later at Stadium Walk apartments. Parents and students expressed concern and questioned why there was no alert from the school. 

An Eagle Alert is the university’s emergency system that sends messages through a student or staff member’s university email, a phone call or text message. For some emergency situations, the school also posts on the GS website and MyGeorgiasouthern.

“The law requires us to send an alert when there is an “imminent threat” to the faculty, staff and/or students on one of our campuses,” John Lester, Ph.D, spokesman for GS said in an email. “Both these incidents happened off campus, and — after University Police learned about what happened — nothing indicated there was any imminent threat to the Statesboro campus or any of our students or employees.”

Since the fall 2016 semester, 55 emails have been sent from a sender titled EAGLE ALERT. Nine emails have been sent from the Dean of Students or GS communications regarding “CAMPUS ALERT” or Weather alert.

“Ultimately, it’s a decision by University Police based on their charge to keep campus safe and secure,” Lester said.

McClain Baxley, The George-Anne Editor-in-Chief, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu