CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Students at Southwestern College were on alert on Wednesday after the campus sent out an e-mail, saying a "credible threat" was made and that immediate action is being taken to keep students and faculty safe.

The campus sent out the e-mail to all students and faculty on Wednesday, but most students still are not sure what is going on.

The e-mail did not give further details about the threat but said that security is working to ensure the safety of students and staff.

"Some more information would be nice," said student Autumn Clark. "If there's a problem, we should know about it, especially if it concerns our safety: is someone mugging people, are cars getting broken into, will I get stabbed when I walk out of class?" Other students shared the same views.

"The fact that someone called in a threat to the community college, I guess, is surprising to start with," said student Eric Tellez. "It's shocking that there wasn't anyone going around saying there was a threat to students or faculty on campus."

McKenzie Clark told 10News, "I would have really liked to know what was going on, especially if it's a safety issue."

Students were confused. The e-mail said if they had any questions, they could call the chief of police or the chief of communications. 10News called the number but found that the number had been disconnected.

10News did reach communications chief Chris Bender, who said confidentiality issues prevent him from telling the exact nature of the threat, but that the campus is actively working to make sure all 20,000 students are safe.

Bender said it was important that no one overreact to the alert but stressed that Southwestern College is doing everything it can to keep all students and staff safe.

Below is the email that was sent to students Thursday morning, 8:53 a.m.

College Community,

We want to provide a more detailed update about the safety threat we reported last night - and the District's immediate response.

First and foremost, students, faculty and staff should feel comfortable returning to campus, attending classes and seeking the services they need. We are doing everything we can to keep the college community safe.

The District received information that a student threatened to shoot a faculty member. The student also threatened the college community. The student was not on campus at the time the information was received and has not returned to campus.

Once the District received this information, it began immediate action to prohibit the student from returning to all college facilities. The affected faculty member has been advised of all available options.

As always, we encourage you to report any suspicious activity to the Southwestern College Police at (619) 482-6380 or visit the College's emergency information page at http://www.swccd.edu/2ndLevel/index.asp?L1=97. If you have further questions, please contact Chris Bender, Chief of Communications, Community and Governmental Relations at (619) 482-6564.

The College will provide new information as it becomes available.

Brent Chartier, Chief of Police
Angelica L. Suarez, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs