Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) alumnus Jessica Webb was a sophomore the night of Nov. 7, 2018, when she and her friends went out dancing at the Borderline Bar & Grill.
It was an ordinary Wednesday night and Webb and her friend decided to relax and unwind at the country western-themed bar, a favorite place for many CSUCI students.
At about 11:15 p.m., Webb, then 18, was standing by the pool tables across from the dance floor when she turned and saw the shooter walk into the bar about 20 feet away from her.
“I froze. There is a fight, flight or freeze response and I froze,” she said. “A man screamed “Get down!” and I crawled under the pool table. I later found out that man was Cody Coffman.”
Coffman, 22, was one of 12 victims who died in the mass shooting that night before the shooter turned the gun on himself, bringing the total dead to 13.
Webb was one of 49 CSUCI students at the Borderline that night. No CSUCI student was among the casualties, but some were injured trying to escape and others lost friends that night.
To honor the victims of the Borderline shooting as well as those who suffered through that horrific night, CSUCI will hold a Borderline Remembrance and Bench Dedication ceremony from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Dec. 2 on campus at the Ralph Bliss Courtyard located next to the Bell Tower building.
“We wanted a long-lasting physical representation on campus to memorialize the impact this has had on so many of our students,” said Associate Dean of Students Chelsee Bente. “It has had a big impact on our campus community. We thought this bench would be a great place for people to pause and reflect. We also wanted to raise awareness around the mental health resources we have available to students.”
The night of the Borderline shooting, Webb was able to crawl out from under the pool table after about a minute and a half. The bar had almost completely emptied.
“I saw a group of girls in the corner hiding in a crevasse in the wall,” Webb said. “I got out from under the table and found them and we all ran out of the building.”
She escaped that night, but like so many others, she couldn’t escape the aftereffects of trauma.
“I had a lot of effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) afterwards,” Webb said. “I was in therapy for a year. I had recurring nightmares, brain fog, very painful migraine, and the normal stages of grief.”
This year, the CSU Chancellor’s Office provided the campus with a $250,000 grant to expand mental health services. CSUCI’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help students, whether it’s a trauma as severe as the Borderline shooting, difficulty with relationships, or academic stress. Still, many students resist seeking help for a number of reasons.
This year CAPS was able to hire a case manager, Alexis McKenna, MFT, Ph.D., whose responsibilities include connecting students who need it with longer term care as CAPS clinicians’ care is designed to be short term.
“Usually there are students who need to be referred to practitioners out in their community,” McKenna explained. “That often means using their insurance, so they bring in their insurance card and we literally get on the phone and talk to the insurance company and help them with the bureaucratic process. Often students get frustrated and quite often just quit trying to find help. My job is to make sure no student falls through the cracks.”
Educating students and the public about the benefits of mental health and removing existing stigmas has never been more important, McKenna said, as there is a mental health crisis in the nation and there are currently more people in need of therapy than there are therapists to fill that need.
Bringing a community together for a ritual like the Borderline dedication is an example of how people can help one another heal, McKenna said.
“A ceremony like this acknowledges not only the students who were there, and the victims,” Webb said. “It acknowledges that as a school, everybody was affected. Everybody.”
The event is open to all survivors, alumni who were present, and members of the campus community. RSVP is required to participate in this dedication ceremony. To RSVP, visit: bit.ly/borderline-21.
Please note, the California State University COVID-19 Vaccination Interim Policy requires that all campus visitors present their vaccination of COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event on-campus.
About California State University Channel Islands — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is reimagining higher education for a new generation and era. We are an innovative higher education institution that enables students to succeed and thrive – serving as an engine for social and economic vitality that provides the intellectual resources necessary for a thriving democracy. With more than 7,000 students, 1,200 employees and 14,000 alumni, CSUCI is poised to grow in size and distinction, while maintaining one of the most student-focused learning environments in public higher education. Connect with and learn more by visiting www.csuci.edu or CSUCI’s Social Media.
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