Published: September 27, 2007 11:21 pm         

ISU launches campus emergency alert system

Service will cost school $5K per year

TERRE HAUTE — People off-campus from Indiana State University now can be notified of emergency situations on-campus.

The Department of Public Safety launched the e2Campus system Thursday, a system that notifies cell-phone users via a text message about major campus emergencies such as an incident like the Virginia Tech shooting or a chemical spill, bad weather, crime alerts, Amber alerts and campus closings.

“It’s really a concept that we’ve been talking about for some time as far as improving our overall notification system for the campus,” said ISU police chief Bill Mercier. “It’s becoming more and more prevalent on college campuses because of the growth of cell phones and cell-phone use on campus … so a way to get in touch with those folks is a real useful tool.”

Anybody can sign up for the service online or in the commons area from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today.

Using the system is free aside from any text-messaging fees the subscriber’s cell-phone service provider may charge, Mercier said.

This system will be used along with other emergency notification processes already in place such as e-mail, sirens and pop-up messages for people logged on to the Novell Network used at ISU.

Emergency messages also will be recorded for people to hear when they call ISU’s information line at (812) 237-7777.

“So there are a number of ways we use to get the message out and this is just another additional one to address the whole population that’s walking about campus with cell phones,” Mercier said.

Mercier said the system has been tested over the past several weeks and didn’t have any problems. Another test is planned for next month, but he said because of the fees cell-phone providers may charge, he doesn’t want to test it too much.

Virginia-based OMNILERT LLC will provide the services to ISU for $5,000 per year, a cost A.J. Patton, president of the Student Government Association, said is worth paying.

“Any program of significance obviously has somewhat of a cost whether it be direct or indirect, so I don’t have a problem with the cost,” he said, “Five thousand dollars out of a budget to be able to more efficiently communicate when massive things happen, I think that its value actually pays for itself of the confidence and reassurance of knowing.”

Patton said he signed up for the service Thursday and although he hasn’t heard any feedback about the system yet, he thinks it is going to be embraced by the students.

“Cell phones aren’t a luxury in this part of technology stages, it’s more of a necessity,” he said, “so I do think it’s going to work.”

He said there wasn’t anything wrong with ISU’s current methods of getting out emergency messages, but that this system will definitely make things more efficient.

“Indiana State has been known to continue to be on the front end of efficiency,” Patton said, “and I think this is just another program that shows that we’re staying with such leadership.”

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.