Some University of Wisconsin students found themselves trapped in campus buildings Tuesday when a gunman scare forced university staff to lock down some area facilities.

Though no official lockdown was declared throughout the entire campus, several UW students reported finding university buildings not allowing students to leave.

UW freshman Stephanie Braun said at one point Memorial Union staff denied students in the building the option to exit.

"Some guy came in around 8:15 telling us the building was on lockdown," Braun said. "At 9:35, they were like, ‘You can leave. We are not saying that it's safe or that everything is all clear, but you can leave.'"

Several students also confirmed Natatorium staff did not allow students to leave the facility.

A group of Ogg Hall house fellows were checking students' IDs and key fobs, making sure those trying to enter the building were residents. Students who did not live in Ogg were required to call the resident they came to visit to escort them inside the building.

UW senior Kristen Houser, one of the Ogg house fellows on duty, told The Badger Herald she talked to her residents and advised them to avoid leaving the building.

"I asked them to call their roommates and make sure they're OK," Houser said.

Several lakeshore dorms, however, did not impose a form of an ID-checking system, though a Bradley Learning Community house fellow on duty said house fellows were instructed to check in with their residents to make sure they were safe.

Food Service Manager Patrick Pawelski said Ed's Express and other housing food services stopped delivering food in the early hours of the evening in efforts to ensure student workers' safety. He said students leaving work after late night shifts would be encouraged to walk in groups, and off-campus students would be offered rides home if necessary.

According to its website, UW offered all students free cab rides home throughout the night.

With last April’s Virginia Tech shootings lingering in some minds, students said UW handled the situation well, and the mass e-mails and constant web updates were a safe way to reach students.

UW sophomore Sarah Brunnquell, who was working at the front desk of Holt Commons in the lakeshore dorms area, said e-mail is probably the best way to reach students and added she was constantly checking UW's news website for updates on the situation.

"There's always word of mouth, too," Brunquell said. "But [e-mail] was probably the safest way to do it."

— Ben Classon contributed to this report.