How effective is emergency texting?
February 29th, 2008 by Kim
UH plans to introduce an emergency text messaging system that can be used to alert students during life-and-death situations, such as school shootings, according to Dan Nakaso’s article in the Advertiser today.
Emails were recently sent to 50,000 students in the 10-campus system encouraging them to sign up for the special text messaging.
Campus officials previously used email to communicate with students during emergencies, such as an October incident in which a 46-year-old man was arrested for threatening to shoot 30 students at UH-Manoa.
During the Feb. 14 shooting at Northern Illinois, campus officials sent students email and voicemail alerts, according to this article from the AP. The school did not have text messaging alerts.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville recently introduced text alerts along with several other universities across the country. Announcements at SIUE are also broadcast through a speaker system on the 2,660-acre campus.
But the AP article also notes that students at many campuses with text message alert systems have been slow to embrace the program, citing “feelings of invincibility and reluctance to give out personal information.”
I’m sure it’s probably also related to questions about the effectiveness of text message alerts. UH students first have to register for the service and those without unlimited messaging will have to pay for any emergency texts. UH officials said in the article that they expect only 10 percent of students to sign up.
The emergency texting system is designed to do what email can’t, that is, get in touch with students when they’re on the go, walking around campus or sitting in class. But when I was in college, I also almost never took my cell phone to class since I had profs who were notorious for kicking students out of the room if a cell ring disturbed their lectures. So I either left my phone in my room or turned it off during the day unless I was expecting a call.
UH students can check this site for emergency status updates and to register for the new text messaging system.
Tags: college, text messages, UH
February 29th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Of course text messaging won’t reach all of the students. They won’t all register, and they don’t all have phones.
BUT it will reach some of them. No one communication method will reach all of the students simultaneously. Use of email,text messaging and the usual media sources will start to get the news out. Word of mouth will continue the message.
Does anyone have a better solution to reach 20,000+ students spread out over the entire island of Oahu?
February 29th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Like above, it’s better than nothing. However, profs will have to accept the fact that students will be allowed to leave their phones on in class.
I don’t see why we just can’t have the security and the 5-0 go through the campus announcing it using a loudspeaker. UH campus is tiny compared to other universities and who knows if it’ll discourage the bad guy from doing anything.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Forget the texting thing. Sometimes if I’m busy i just shut press a button to silence my phone. What they really need is bull-horn sirens like the type they use in civil-defense.
March 1st, 2008 at 9:19 am
Slow news day? I don’t see any other way, short of bomb sirens going off, they can notify students any faster and more accurately. Email was good, but you’d have to have access to internet all the time. Mobile phones are best because they are always kept on their person. It’s up to the student to sign up for it - and if they don’t - it is at their own risk.
March 1st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
As a UH student I am glad to hear they are at least making an effort. Everyone has a cell phone today so I see this as a fast way to get information to those students who choose to sign up for the service. It is true that not all students will get messages for various reasons, but no one medium is going to reach all students. A variety of methods is needed and if this is the first of many steps, I am pleased.