Emergency text alert system available to those who sign up
Faculty, staff and students can voluntary sign-up for a campus emergency cell phone text messaging alert service.
Updated September 2, 2008
Colorado State University reminds faculty, staff and students that voluntary sign-up for an emergency cell phone text messaging alert service is available.
Text message alert in the event of emergency at CSU
The program will send a text message alert to all enrolled cell phones in the event of an emergency at the university. The system will only be used during a safety emergency or unexpected closing of the university, such as a snow day.
The phone numbers of Sprint cell phones, the university's contracted provider, supplied to faculty and staff for work purposes have been automatically entered into the system. Faculty and staff phones through Nextel or other providers have not been entered and must be entered by those individuals. Faculty and staff without a university provided phone who want to register a personal phone or with other provider agreements must enter their cell numbers through the university's registration system.
Anyone with a campus EID can register
To enter a cell phone number into the system, anyone with a campus EID - a university electronic identity - can register at http://ramweb.colostate.edu. Once on the site, log into RAMweb. Under "Records" on the right side of the page click on "Change My Emergency Notification Cell Phone" and enter the number. The same steps can be taken to update cell phone information.
The text message alert will complement emergency communications and university closure notification systems already in place which include campus-wide emergency e-mail, the university's Web site, reverse 911, communications with the mass media and the snow line. The university's Emergency Management Team, a group of staff from various departments across campus charged with planning for emergency response, has been reviewing various text messaging services for more than a year along with Colorado State's Telecommunications Department, which will manage the system for the university.
Students must register and keep cell number up-to-date
Students are not automatically entered into the system and also must register. All participants need to update cell numbers manually if the contact information changes, and faculty and staff already registered who wish to use an alternative phone to their university phone must manually make that change.
Currently only one phone can be registered per user, although plans are underway to allow registration of multiple phones per user later this year.
No fee from university to participate
The service will be provided at no an additional fee from the university, although participants may need to pay for incoming text messages as part of their regular phone plan. However, use of the alerts is expected to be rare since they will be activated only in emergency situations.
Students will be prompted to verify or update their information to the service when they log onto RAMweb to register for classes each semester. Faculty and staff should update their information as it changes.
Contact: Dell Rae Moellenberg
Email: DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu
Phone Number: (970) 491-6009
