Stanislaus State has no internet on campus, cancels classes after detecting network problem
Stanislaus State University is grappling with a major computer network disruption that caused it to cancel all classes Friday at its main Turlock campus and satellite campus in Stockton. And while in-person classes have resumed, online classes have not.
A notice posted Tuesday evening on the university’s website states the internet remains down at both campuses and online classes are canceled through the end of this week. Stanislaus State has an enrollment of about 9,500 students, according to the California State University Chancellor’s Office.
A university spokeswoman provided few details Wednesday in a statement.
“Stanislaus State detected a service disruption that required us to temporarily take certain computer systems offline,” Rosalee Rush, senior associate vice president, communications and public affairs, said in the statement. “... The investigation of this disruption is ongoing, and we are focused on restoring our systems as quickly and securely as possible.”
Stanislaus State student Kristin Platts said the disruption means students cannot use an online portal called canvas. She said it is the primary way students and professors communicate with one another outside of class. She said that is true even for students who attend in-person classes.
“We turn in assignments, receive assignments, feedback, just about everything,” Platts said.
She said classes relying on technology like graphic design, video production and editing have been hobbled by the lack of internet. Platts is majoring in creative media and minoring in journalism. She said the professor in her media and politics class used a hot spot this week to show students videos and a PowerPoint presentation as part of the class lecture.
Platts is the senior editor of the Signal, the Turlock university’s online student newspaper. She and two other Signal staff members wrote a Tuesday story about the computer network disruption.
“The hardest thing for me is not being able to communicate with my students,” said Dave Colnic, professor and chairman of the department of political science, public administration and leadership. “For my smaller classes that meet in person, I’m creating an email list.
“For larger online classes, there is no way to communicate with them. I don’t have class lists, email. That’s incredibly frustrating from my perspective. The university’s Zoom is down.”
Wi-Fi, phones are down
Colnic is the Stanislaus Chapter president of the California Faculty Association. He said the disruption has had little impact for professors who teach in person and don’t use much technology. But he said that is not the case for those who teach online or use technology in the classroom.
Colnic could not provide a breakdown between online and in-person classes, but said it is not unusual for students to take online classes. He said the university also offers hybrid classes that alternate between meeting online and in person. He said the disruption means the campus phones and Wi-Fi do not work.
The Turlock university is the second local public institution to experience IT problems recently. Modesto reported Feb. 8 that it was conducting an investigation with leading cybersecurity experts after detecting what it called suspicious activity on its digital network. The Bee reported that the police department experienced a ransomware attack.
Platts and another Signal editor walked the Turlock campus Tuesday to observe the disruption’s effects. She said many of the offices in the Mary Stuart Rogers building had notices stating they were closed and employees were working remotely.
The three-story, 130,000-square-foot building houses the university’s administrative offices and student services. That includes financial aid, admissions and outreach, human resources, business and finance, and student support services, according to the university’s website. The president’s office is on the third floor.
Platts said the Starbucks and Warrior Grill on the Turlock campus were operating on a cash-only basis last Thursday and Friday. “Everyone is just kind of baffled because we don’t know what’s wrong,” she said. “We’re going on a week almost.”
Rush, the Stanislaus State spokeswoman, said in a subsequent email following questions from The Bee that the university understands “how stressful and challenging the lack of internet connection and inability to access online learning platforms and business systems is for our students, faculty and staff. We have extended deadlines, provided hot spots and alternative processes whenever possible.”
Outages on both campuses
The university’s Office of Information Technology is working with the Chancellor’s Office and consultants to fix the problem, according to an email provided by Platts. The office did not respond by Wednesday afternoon to an email seeking a response.
“Dear Campus Community, We continue to experience network outages on both campuses,” according to the email. “OIT network and server technicians continue to work on a resolution. Working closely with the Chancellor’s Office and outside consultants, the OIT team has identified the issue and is working diligently to restore services.”
Modesto issued a Feb. 8 statement about its computer network problems after The Bee inquired about the matter. The city has said this has not affected its ability to delivery services to residents.
But multiple anonymous sources with direct knowledge have told The Bee that the Police Department was the victim of ransomware that had crippled its network. Ransomware is a type of malicious software or malware that hackers use to infect and hobble a computer or computer network until a ransom is paid or other demands are met.
Stanislaus County told The Bee last week that on Feb. 3 it had temporarily blocked network connections and email from Modesto and it had restored connections and email with all city departments Feb. 13 except for the Police Department.
Modesto has not confirmed it was the victim of ransomware or provide more details.
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 3:30 PM.
