2008 Woodie Awards
PSUC adopts emergency alert system
Benjamin Pomerance
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
Originally published: 9/27/07 at 6:21 PM EST
Last update: 9/27/07 at 11:39 PM EST
Since reading the task force's report on May 11, Tyo said he had been working on ways to improve campus-wide communication in the event of an emergency.
The new product, he said, will indeed be "multi-layered" in nature.
If a "critical incident" occurs, Tyo said, one of three unnamed PSUC administrators will be able to type a brief message into an online portal and send it to every student and faculty member on the new system's list.
Within 30 seconds of hitting "Send," people on the list will start receiving notification of the situation through voice mail, e-mail and cell phone text messages.
The alerts will include a description of the problem and instructions as to what actions should be taken for people to remain safe.
Students and faculty will be allowed to use up to three telephone numbers and three e-mail addresses for the program's database, increasing the odds that they will be contacted efficiently if an emergency situation arises.
Tyo said the enrollment process through PSUC's Banner Web program is scheduled to begin in "a couple of weeks."
There is no cost to join the alert system's list, although Tyo does worry that some cell phone companies might charge students for the use of the text messaging program.
While enrollment for the program will be completely voluntary, Tyo said he hopes students and faculty will understand the importance of joining the program and sign up.
"It's definitely an improved system over what we have now," Tyo said. "I think this system will have a major impact on the safety of this campus community."
Some PSUC students aren't so sure. Senior Kat Voelsing believes the new system might not be safe at all.
In fact, she said, having personal information such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers on the program seems to imply a decreased level of individual security for PSUC students.
"It sounds nice on the surface, but there are parts of it that worry me," Voelsing said. "For instance, if someone hacked the program, we'd have a real problem. They'd have all that information for so many people. They could even use the system to start a false alarm on campus."
The new product, he said, will indeed be "multi-layered" in nature.
If a "critical incident" occurs, Tyo said, one of three unnamed PSUC administrators will be able to type a brief message into an online portal and send it to every student and faculty member on the new system's list.
Within 30 seconds of hitting "Send," people on the list will start receiving notification of the situation through voice mail, e-mail and cell phone text messages.
The alerts will include a description of the problem and instructions as to what actions should be taken for people to remain safe.
Students and faculty will be allowed to use up to three telephone numbers and three e-mail addresses for the program's database, increasing the odds that they will be contacted efficiently if an emergency situation arises.
Tyo said the enrollment process through PSUC's Banner Web program is scheduled to begin in "a couple of weeks."
There is no cost to join the alert system's list, although Tyo does worry that some cell phone companies might charge students for the use of the text messaging program.
While enrollment for the program will be completely voluntary, Tyo said he hopes students and faculty will understand the importance of joining the program and sign up.
"It's definitely an improved system over what we have now," Tyo said. "I think this system will have a major impact on the safety of this campus community."
Some PSUC students aren't so sure. Senior Kat Voelsing believes the new system might not be safe at all.
In fact, she said, having personal information such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers on the program seems to imply a decreased level of individual security for PSUC students.
"It sounds nice on the surface, but there are parts of it that worry me," Voelsing said. "For instance, if someone hacked the program, we'd have a real problem. They'd have all that information for so many people. They could even use the system to start a false alarm on campus."
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James McCartney
posted 9/28/07 @ 6:54 AM EST
It is great that Plattsburgh State it taking steps to improve safety but what happens when it is a fellow student shooter, getting an alert to get out of the area and go to this area. (Continued…)
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