ESU launches emergency notification system

Emporia State University students and staff will be alerted to campus emergency situations by text message and email through a new notification system being launched this month. ESU is partnering with Rave Wireless to offer Rave Alert to the campus community.

Through the notification system, ESU can disseminate timely notifications to thousands of users via multiple communication channels, including mobile text alerts and email.

“Our students today are living an unprecedented mobile lifestyle,” said Dr. Michael R. Lane, ESU president. “This system puts us in the best possible position to send emergency communications to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, regardless of where everyone is at the time.”

While text and email alerting represent just a portion of ESU’s emergency communication procedures, officials expect it will be an important part of the plan.

“The system can distribute an alert to the entire registered campus community in the case of an emergency, or on a targeted basis,” said T. J. Rains, associate chief information officer at ESU.

Rave Alert registration is a simple process. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to register for the service through the 'Rave Emergency Alert' quick link located in the home tab of Buzz In, ESU’s campus intranet. By clicking on the 'Join Now' link and following the simple instructions, users are registered for the service. The only cost to registrants is any standard text messaging cost that may be associated with their mobile phone service provider’s calling plan.

Emporia State is one of approximately 60 college campuses around the nation that utilize the Rave Alert notification system to warn users of an emergency situation. Development of Rave Alert and similar systems was spurred by recent incidents of campus violence around the country, including the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University.

Last Updated September 4, 2008>