Students needed more communication during cyberattack

We, the Index editorial board, would first like to thank the Information Technology Services department for all their hard work in finding a resolution to the recent cyberattack so quickly. We also thank the administration for their work during this time. However, we the Index editorial board are disappointed in the lack of communication from Truman State University surrounding the cyberattack. It is not the fact the cyberattack occurred or how long it took to get resolved, but the way information was not communicated quickly or effectively to students that concerns us. We believe the University could have done better.

Many students received their information from YikYak or hearsay from professors or other staff who did not have the correct information on Friday morning when the issues first occurred.

The first TruAlert sent out Friday night only informed students the network would be down for services rather than explaining the security risks. There was an Instagram post with a caption that mentioned a potential attack, but this was the only source of information for some students. For students living off-campus or out of state, there was even less awareness about what was happening. Not all students are signed up for TruAlerts or have access to social media where information was spread, so they did not know why Truman services were not working for them.

It was not until Sunday night the first link was sent to students with specific information about the attack and the Frequently Asked Questions website was established. Throughout the confusion, students were not given clear instructions on what they should do in a quick enough manner, and students were left in the dark about what services were safe and what they should expect when classes resumed. With the lack of streamlined information, some students thought logging out of all accounts was necessary, losing access to Google Drive. At the same time, some stayed logged in and could continue working on assignments. We wish the University would have hosted a panel discussion, put out a press release, held a conference or found another way for students to ask questions rather than creating a vague Instagram post and Google website.

Even after the issue has been resolved, the University has not made a definitive statement about how classes should continue for the rest of the semester. While there was a mention of removing the late policy and giving students sufficient time to complete assignments they had missed, this is something not all professors are acting on as it is only a suggestion. Some students are struggling to catch up on the work time they missed and have little to no extra time to complete assignments.

We understand a cyberattack has not happened to the University before and that it was resolved relatively quickly compared to other Universities in the same situation. We don’t wish to diminish the hard work put into resolving the issue, but we do wish the University would have taken more responsibility to regularly inform students with clear and concise information and conveyed information in a helpful and effective way.