diff --git a/src/components/UserAvatar/UserAvatar.js b/src/components/UserAvatar/UserAvatar.js
index d4341a2..b6f7965 100644
--- a/src/components/UserAvatar/UserAvatar.js
+++ b/src/components/UserAvatar/UserAvatar.js
@@ -3,22 +3,34 @@ import PropTypes from "prop-types";
 import { Avatar } from "@material-ui/core";
 
 export default function UserAvatar({ name, alias }) {
-    const [userImageURL, setUserImageURL] = useState([]);
-
-    useEffect(() => {
-        const getImageURL = (async () => {
-            const response = await fetch(`https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/PersonPhotos/getPhoto?json=1&alias=${alias}`);
-            if (response.status >= 200 && response.status <= 299) {
-                const jsonResponse = await response.json();
-                setUserImageURL(jsonResponse);
-            } else {
-                console.log(response.status, response.statusText)
+    const [userImageURL, setUserImageURL] = useState("");
+
+    // Load User Image from ECNDB
+    useEffect(_ => {
+        (async function getUserImage() {
+            if (alias === "") {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            const userImageResponse = await fetch(`https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/PersonPhotos/getPhoto?json=1&alias=${alias}`);
+            
+            if (userImageResponse.status !== 200) {
+                console.error(`Failed to load user image from ECNDB. Got code ${userImageResponse.status} (${userImageResponse.statusText})`);
+                return null;
             }
+
+            let userImageData = await userImageResponse.json();
+            if (userImageData.imagePath === "") {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            setUserImageURL(`https://engineering.purdue.edu/${userImageData.imagePath}`);
+            return null;
         })();
     }, [alias])
 
     return (
-        <Avatar src={`https://engineering.purdue.edu/${userImageURL.imagePath}`}>
+        <Avatar src={userImageURL}>
             {name === "" ? null : name.charAt(0)}
         </Avatar>
     );