EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and Communication

Outdoor Sirens, Low-Tech but Highly Effective, Bolster Colleges' Emergency Responses

ckeller — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:37:57 -0500

Colleges and universities around the country, ever more mindful of campus safety, are installing outdoor sirens. The systems can blast spoken messages or tone alerts of danger—and one of the preset messages on many of the public-address systems warns: "There is a shooter on campus. Seek shelter immediately."

What Kind of Notification System Works Best When Crisis Strikes?

ckeller — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:43:55 -0600

(Wally) Czerniak was attending a conference in Arizona where he was learning, among other things, about emergency-notification systems that can send text messages to cellphones - a method that a growing number of colleges have set up since the shootings last spring at Virginia Tech. But Mr. Czerniak still isn't sure whether such a system would have done much good in keeping people on campus updated as the crisis unfolded if it had been in place at Northern Illinois.

Governor’s Task Force on Campus Safety: Final Report

ckeller — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:47:28 -0600

The Governor's Task Force on Campus Safety is focused on ensuring the safety of college campuses across Wisconsin. At the direction of Governor Jim Doyle, the Task Force is reviewing and compiling criteria for developing best practices from universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions in Wisconsin and across the nation. This information will be submitted to the governor and will serve as a resource for college administrators, law enforcement officers, and emergency preparedness officials.

R Txt Msgs the Best Way 2 Alert U?

ckeller — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:10:44 -0500

"After the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech, the lesson many came away with was that e-mail alone won’t suffice to keep students informed about emergencies on campus. One solution widely regarded as both timely and technologically in sync with undergraduate habits was to use text messages to alert them to potential dangers. "

Information and Communications Infrastructure: Confidential Presidential Working Paper

ckeller — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:23:28 -0500

The events of April 16, 2007 and the response, investigation, and recovery at Virginia Tech that followed placed extraordinary demands on telecommunications network resources and university Information Technology professionals. This report provides a comprehensive inventory and analysis of the communications infrastructure and information systems used during this time period. It addresses resources depended upon by emergency responders, investigating law enforcement officers, university officials, media, faculty, staff, students, and families of the university community. It includes information about communications resources owned and operated by the University and relevant resources owned and operated by providers and responders.

Colleges seek better emergency-notification systems

ckeller — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:30:33 -0500

"The two hours it took for Virginia Tech officials to eMail students a warning about a gunman on campus last month have raised the question of how schools can get critical news out faster in a crisis--and how technology can help."

Lessons From Virginia Tech: A Disaster Alert System That Works

ckeller — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:23:44 -0500

"Since 9/11, some security experts have pushed the idea that peer-to-peer alert systems that rely on openness and the crowd can save lives, particularly when centralized communications and decision-making break down. That argument is back in force following Monday's mass slayings of 32 people at Virginia Tech."

Final Report of Emergency Communication Systems for Florida University and Community College Campuses

drupal — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:06:00 -0500

This report studies the current emergency communications system for Florida higher education institutions which do not have PA systems that are similar to the K-12 schools. Universities and Colleges require systems and procedures to rapidly pass critical information in emergency situations to all buildings classrooms, laboratories, and offices to alert students, faculty and staff regarding emergency situations such as a terrorist event, active shooter, bomb threat, hazmat release, or natural event such as tornado. Three important criteria are relevant to campus alert/notification systems: (1) provide an alert to the campus population as quickly as possible; (2) alert and inform the campus population in multiple areas with different instructions that could change rapidly; (3) provide at least a means of basic communications under extreme situations such as a power outage and/or downed telephone service. These criteria must also consider the limitations of the disabled.

Penn State Live Offers Mobile News Service

drupal — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 11:51:04 -0500

Pennsylvania State university will launch a text-messaging wireless service called PSUTXT today as an expansion of Penn State Live, a news service with 360,000 subscribers. The university plans to use the service to send text messages of news alerts to mobile devices.Registered users can sign up for short message service (SMS) text messages on campus emergencies, sports, and concert information. Topics will expand as users indicate an interest in other types of information. PSUTXT targets Penn State students, faculty, and staff, although anyone may subscribe.

A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools

drupal — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 12:36:01 -0500

We asked seven nonprofit technology professionals what e-mail newsletter tools have worked well for them. We then combined their thoughts with some of the collective wisdom of various listserves and forums to come up with a set of solid tools that might work for you.