Two weeks ago, the university faced a crisis that seems almost humorous in retrospect: an off-campus sewer-line blockage forced the closure of all University restrooms for several hours.

It was, to say the least, quite uncomfortable for thousands of Sacramento State students, staff and faculty.

What could have been a major health crisis was resolved when the City of Sacramento opened the blocked line and restroom operations went back to normal.

Well, almost normal.

What if the sewer line had remained clogged for a few more hours? Would the campus have been closed? And if so, would university streets be able to handle the volume of traffic generated by thousands of students, staff and faculty seeking a toilet ? anywhere?

Perhaps a larger concern is how the university communicates when there is a problem.

Afternoon classes were cancelled, and aside from complaints from students, most professors knew little of what was going on, or of the severity of the problem. Granted, a sewer blockage is not a great threat to student safety, but the lack of communication from the university is worrisome.

One has to wonder what would have occurred if a true emergency had happened. How would students know of a sniper or a bomb threat? What are the communication channels in the university for emergencies and who has access to them? And when emergencies do occur, who is in charge and is there any sort of response team for various types of problems?

These are all every important questions that the university must answer. The chances of a major emergency actually occurring are quite slim, but in case one does occur, students need to be assured that the university will handle the situation properly.

Most importantly, students and staff deserve a guarantee that any important information will get out to them in times of emergencies.