In the wake of the Virginia Tech University massacre this past spring, UNMC has set up a mass emergency notification system that would alert students and employees should a shooting, tornado or other life-threatening development occur on campus.
UNMC has set up a system through e2Campus — a private company with many large and well known universities as clients — that would send text messages, e-mails and/or pages to subscribed students and employees in the case of an extreme emergency on campus.
Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., asked that UNMC strengthen its emergency communication system after examining the problems Virginia Tech officials had in communicating to students and employees in April as an armed student carried out two separate shootings hours apart at different spots on campus. The shooting — the worst in U.S. history — left 33 people dead.
“We decided to start this system because effective communication goes a long way toward saving lives in potentially-disastrous situations,” said Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance. “We look at it like an insurance policy. People register for it in hopes that they never have to use it.”
Employees wanting to register for the system, which is voluntary, can do so by logging onto http:ess.unmc.edu. Students can register online at http://care.unmc.edu or via Blackboard.
“I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Maurer and the administration for enacting this new alert system,” said Jonathan Henning, president of the UNMC Student Senate. “It’s concrete proof that student safety is placed as a top priority here and I urge my fellow students to register for the system, which could save lives if the unspeakable occurs.”
Registrants must have one of the following communication devices to receive an emergency message:
- Mobile phone with Short Messaging Service (SMS) capability;
- Email service with valid email address;
- Access to Internet with web browser;
- Text paging device; or
- Blackberry device.
Also, should such an event happen, an onscreen pop-up will appear on all campus computers alerting people to the situation.
“The point is redundancy,” Leuenberger said. “We want to make sure that we get such a message out to our people in every possible way.”
Registrants can manage their own account via an Internet browser and make updates to their device or contact information, such as adding a spouse or family contacts who also would receive messages should a life-threatening event occur on campus.
Registrants would have to pay the cost for messaging should such an event occur but the cost of a message should only add about 10 cents to one’s cellular phone bill, Leuenberger said.
The alert system will not be used in the case of fire alarms going off or other emergencies affecting isolated areas on campus, Leuenberger said.
“Again, we are all hoping we never have to use it,” Leuenberger said.