Student emergency notification system installed at Cal U
Emergency notification systems are in place at area universities, giving staff and students the option of receiving text message alerts in the event of a catastrophic event or dangerous situation. California University of Pennsylvania, Penn State-Fayette, the Eberly Campus and West Virginia University are all using the e2Campus system to notify members of their campus communities in the event of an emergency. The e2Campus system is registered with every cellular telephone carrier in the country and it provides text messages to cell phones and e-mail messages.
The area universities put the notification systems in place following last year’s Virginia Tech shootings. Enrollment in the notification system is free, though participants may incur whatever fee their telephone company charges for a text message if the system is used. Still, participation level in the systems runs between 12 and 20 percent.
Sharon Elkatani, the director of environmental health and safety at Cal U said registration tends to increase after an emergency. So far, Cal U has only had to activate the system once.
“We had an unplanned power outage several weeks ago. We sent out a text message about which buildings were closed because of it and we were very pleased with how it worked,” Elkatani said.
Elkatani said the text-messaging system is just one element of the emergency notification system at Cal U. Since the text message is limited to 160 characters, detailed information can’t be provided. Elkatani said the university’s Web site is also put into use when the e-2Campus system is activated.
“At the same time we sent out a text message, we put up our “light” site. It has fewer pictures and graphics, just basic information so it loads faster,” Elkatani said.
Elkatani said the text message and light Web site systems were tested in September and worked well.
“We will continue testing it. Hopefully we’ll never have to use it for a major emergency,” Elkatani said.
Susan Brimo-Cox, the director of public relations at Penn State-Fayette, the Eberly Campus, said all of the Penn State campuses are part of the e2Campus system, with separate registration for each campus.
“On our campus, we haven’t had to use it yet. On other campuses they’ve used it for power outages or major traffic problems at the entrance to the campus that would close the road and affect people. They are trying to limit the use, to make sure they keep it for things that are important,” Brimo-Cox said.
A Penn State Internet publication, Penn State Live, cautions PSUTEXT users not only to register for the emergency text service, but to also activate their accounts. According to the site, there are nearly 1,000 registered users of Penn State’s notification system who have not verified their accounts, which would mean they would not receive notifications in an emergency.
West Virginia University in Morgantown had 4,000 users sign up for its e2Campus system the first week it was in place, which is about 12 percent of the total student and staff population.
“This is a good beginning that we hope will encourage others to sign up for this important service,” WVU’s Public Safety Chief Bob Roberts stated in a prepared release.
WVU selected the e2Campus system after researching eight emergency notification service providers and finding the system to be the most reliable of those it tested.
WVU is in the process of extending the emergency notification system to its division and regional campuses. In the meantime, emergency information is also provided on WVU’s Website at http://emergency.wvu.edu/.