Flaw found in UT emergency alert system

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The University of Texas is pointing out a flaw in its emergency text alert system.

On Friday, an alert was sent out regarding a man carrying a rifle and wearing a gas mask who was sighted on the west side of the campus, on Guadalupe Street.

In an earlier incident in September, UT was evacuated after a caller claimed to have placed bombs all over the campus.

Both of these threats turned out to be hoaxes, but on Tuesday, UT Police Department said some students didn't receive the messages. Officials discovered that the problem arose when parents also signed up for the alerts -- and the system essentially knocked the students' cellphone numbers out of the alert system.

Now UT is encouraging all parents to contact the Texas Exes and the UT Parents Association if they want to stay informed of emergency situations but not sign up through the UT system.

TexasExes does not send out text alerts, but it does have a Twitter account and a Facebook page for parents to stay informed.

UTPD also publishes Campus Watch , a daily e-mail that addresses the crimes that occur on campus.