Text and email system notifies students of all emergencies
Utah State University has an alert system that can immediately inform students and faculty throughout the school in case of shootings or other emergencies.
It’s called Code Blue Emergency Alert System, or Code Blue for short, said Department of Public Safety Emergency Manager Judy Crockett.
The alert system lets students know of various emergencies that happen on campus through voice, text and email, Crockett said.
Currently, every student with a USU email will receive notification of any emergency that happens on or near campus, but students can also sign up to receive text messages in the event of a crisis as well. This would enable students to be alerted on their cell phones when they may not have e-mail easily accessible. So far only about 3,000 students are signed up to get text messages through the Code Blue.
Crockett said she wants all of the students at USU to sign up to receive text messages in case of an emergency.
“This is the perfect way to get people informed,” she said. “This is an awesome system.”
Steven Mecham Police Chief and Executive Director of Public Safety of the USU Police Department agreed with Crockett and said receiving messages through text messaging is the best.
“Most students aren’t worried about e-mail,” said Mecham. “The text is the best.”
Students can sign up by logging into banner, clicking on “personal information”, then entering their phone number. They can also put in their parents’ phone numbers so they, too, will receive a text or phone call about the emergency that occurred. Crockett said the message will also let people know how they can obtain more information on the matter at hand, whether it is a test alert or an actual emergency.
Once students sign in their parents’ information, they should tell their parents so they’re not confused when they get the message, Crockett said.
Students can also be notified by finding USU Emergency Management on Twitter or Facebook.
Crockett said the emergency notification system is only used in the event of an emergency and nothing more. Students will never get messages through the system about tuition fees, payment of parking tickets or anything of that nature.
“People are really, really concerned that we’re going to use it for other things,” Crockett said. “Absolutely not. That’s not what it’s here for. It’s for emergency situations only.”
Capt. Steve Milne of the USU Police Department also said it will only be used for emergencies.
“It’s not going to be used to send advertisements or anything like that,” he said. “Hopefully you never get it other than when we do the semi-annual test, but it would still be nice to know if something’s going down.”
The emergency alert system is used once a semester as a test, Crockett said.
Code Blue will notify students if there were a shooting on campus, a chemical spill, hazardous weather that would result in school being canceled, fires, evacuations and building closures, she said.
The emergency alert system was first started in 2008 and is being used by universities all over the state and country, Milne said.
One of the main reasons the alert system has been started throughout the country is because of the shooting at Virginia Tech and other schools, he said.
“Virginia Tech’s the driving force in this,” Milne said. “If you’re walking up to the student center to go get something to eat and there’s some guy in there shooting people, you would want to know that.”
Milne and Crockett both said the alert system won’t help police stop shootings or aid other types of emergencies any faster, but it will help students get the information they need faster.
Milne also said Code Blue could have been used while the “Logan Lurker” was stealing from apartments last school year.
– blaze.bullock@aggiemail.usu.edu