The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2007/08/24/student_emergency_alert

August 24, 2007 > News > New alert system uses e-mail, phone, text messaging

New alert system uses e-mail, phone, text messaging

By Tiffany Siu | Thresher staff

In response to Hurricane Rita and last spring’s shootings at Virginia Tech, the Crisis Management Team revamped its Emergency Management Plan over the summer. As part of a new pre-registration requirement this semester, students provide emergency contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses. or they consent to opt out of providing contact information. The new system sends alerts via text messages, calls to mobile or home phones and messages to non-Rice e-mails. The previous system consisted solely of notification via Rice e-mail and dorm or office phone numbers.

Vice Provost for Information Technology Kamran Khan said the new system can send messages to specific groups such as students, departments and buildings.

Students who opt out will still be contacted by the default methods, which are Rice e-mail and dorm or office phone calls.

Brown College junior Spencer Crouch said he opted out of the text message option.

“That’s what e-mail’s for,” he said. “And I figure everyone else around me will have information about the emergency.”

Kahn said for the past six months, CMT discussed the best ways to improve Rice’s emergency alert system. After deciding on the services, CMT interviewed several vendors starting three months ago, Kahn said. CMT looked for a vendor that could deploy thousands of messages nearly simultaneously, ultimately deciding on an emergency notification software service headquartered in San Diego called MIR3. A distant base location was purposely chosen so that it would not be impaired by the same emergency affecting Rice.

The Office of the President sent an e-mail to the Rice community July 20 asking everyone to enter their emergency contact information on ESTHER. More than a thousand students are currently registered.

Hanszen College junior Duncan Shepard said he was not worried about his safety but appreciated the new system.

“It is a smart idea,” Shepard said. “I signed up more for my parents, though: They were freaking out when Rita hit.”

Khan said it is important that students provide the means of communication that is most accessible and comfortable for them.

Flood levels resulting from Tropical Storm Erin forced CMT to use the new services before the planned practice run in late September.

“We had planned for a test after all the students had arrived, to work out the bugs,” Director of Systems, Architecture and Infrastructure Barry Ribbeck said. “That didn’t happen. You do what you can in an emergency.”

Sid Richardson College senior Michelle Horng said she was well informed of the flooding at Rice during Erin.

“They certainly covered all the bases,” Horng said. “I got three phone calls on my cell, one at home, two text messages, three emails, and both my parents got emails, too.”

Ribbeck said he would rather err on the side of caution even if the volume of the alerts seems excessive. “We have the option to send to everything, and once the person picks up on one of them, stop,” he said. “Or we can send it to all regardless, so people may get four or five phone calls or e-mails. But in the case of an emergency, it is important [to ensure that we reach them].”

He also emphasized that this system will only be used in situations that require emergency notification.

CMT is still working on the system and is open to suggestions, which can be sent to suzanneg@rice.edu. They are currently considering fine-tuning options such as adding a name to appear on the caller ID of landlines, having the message delivered by a human voice instead of a computer and allowing contacts to confirm that they received the message. By doing this, students can avoid receiving messages repeatedly.

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