University Business - April 2008 - (Page 42)

Ready,Set, RESPOND supporting SMS (short message service) text messaging for alert oﬀered through Blackboard Connect. The system sends a message notiﬁcation, and a combination of new products and new vendors simultaneously through e-mail, campus and cell phone voicemail, toting these products emerged. But the potential shortfalls of rely- and text message. Intercom, an on-campus system, posts information on a website accessible to the campus community about ing solely on single-mode communication were quickly shown. “Colleges and universities now are considering and evaluating campus crime incidents, in keeping with the requirements of the the underlying ability of equipment vendors and service provid- Clery Act. Plans to install a loudspeaker system on campus are under way. ers to actually deliver alerts,” says Barry Zipp, executive director of managed business applications for Verizon Business, which pro- “You never know what the situation is going to be, for people who vides notiﬁcation services for higher ed institutions such as Fair- don’t have a cell phone with them or who are not by a computer,” notes Brian McAree, vice president for Student Aﬀairs and Campus leigh Dickinson University (N.J.). On the recipients’ side, some students have been slow to em- Life. He adds that such a system “provides another vehicle for sendbrace text messaging notiﬁcation, due to the youthful feeling of ing an important emergency message.” Fellow New Yorkers at Adelphi invincibility, a reluctance to give out perUniversity began working with Messonal information, and, in some cases, the ‘Not only can we reach into a sageOne last summer to use AlertFind, fees that some cell phone providers charge to send and receive texts. Colleges diﬀer on classroom and give a notiﬁcation, an emergency notiﬁcation system that broadcasts urgent messages and delivers how they conduct sign-ups, either voluntary a faculty member or staff or instructions to the campus community or required. For example, Boston Universtudent could also pick up the via the user’s preferred method. This insity, which adopted an automatic notiﬁcacludes text or voice messages to a cell tion system known as Send Word Now last phone and reach back out to phone, home phone, or e-mail address. summer, mandates that students provide an emergency alert phone number. public safety, so they can alert The system allows for two-way communication, so users can respond with any Though text messaging remains a major public safety of a situation that updates or requested information. Along method for notiﬁcation, many higher ed institutions have turned to multimodal alert was happening in the building.’ with its main campus in Garden City, N.Y., Adelphi’s centers in Manhattan, notiﬁcations to reach students, faculty, and —Chris Burge, Georgia Perimeter College Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie also have staﬀ in real time rather than relying on a coverage through the system. single method. “A combination of e-mails, “Many of our students and faculty attend classes or work at IP signage, calls, text messaging, and other methods are needed to help ensure reaching as much of the recipient population as pos- multiple Adelphi locations. It would be impossible to know at any given time where an individual is during an emergency,” says Gene sible,” says Zipp. A recent survey by the Association for Community Technol- Palma, executive director of Public Safety and Transportation and ogy Professionals in Higher Education (ACUTA) shows schools vice president of the Long Island College and University Consorare focusing on e-mail, text and voice alerts, alarms, sirens, and tium. “We have the MessageOne system set up so that all emeremergency annunciator systems (non-automatic methods of de- gency notiﬁcations are sent out to the entire Adelphi community.” Adelphi also has an “all hazards” emergency response plan, claring an emergency). ACUTA President Walt Magnussen, also director of telecom- which emphasizes fast reaction by senior university oﬃcials to inmunications at Texas A&M University, advises that when consid- cidents, swift notiﬁcation of emergency services, and prompt comering an emergency notiﬁcation system, “the key is not to put your munication within the university community through a variety of means. Additional mechanisms include e-mail, voice mail, website eggs all in one basket.” In spring 2007, Texas A&M implemented e2Campus SMS text alerts, emergency call-in numbers, TV, and radio broadcasts. “Having multiple tools in order to receive emergency notiﬁcamessaging, a service oﬀered through Omnilert, naming it “Code Maroon” after the school color. The system can send time-sensitive tions is essential to any organization and its emergency response messages to subscribers’ mobile phones, e-mail addresses, and/or plan,” says Palma. “By continuing to be proactive we hope to impagers. Out of about 54,000 students, faculty, and staﬀ on campus, prove awareness of urgent university communications and increase our personal safety.” 57 percent are enrolled. Along with Code Maroon, other alert methods used at Texas A&M involve a reverse 911 system for notifying key personnel, THE POWER OF IP broadcasting messages over campus radio, inserting messages on tele- During a crisis, public safety oﬃcials need details just as the camvision through its cable television plant, and sending bulk e-mails. pus safety team does. Oﬃcials at Bryant University (R.I.) impleIthaca College (N.Y.) administrators also have a multichannel mented the Internet Protocol Interoperability and Collaboration communication system. Last fall, the school adopted Connect-ED, System (IPICS) by Cisco in 2006 for day-to-day direct radio com42 | April 2008 universitybusiness.com http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - April 2008

University Business - April 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Future Shock
On The Hill
Facilities Focus
Independent Outlook
Ready, Set, Respond
Small Steps to Safety
Admissions
Lecture Capture: A Fresh Look
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
End Note

University Business - April 2008