Emergency plans:

• Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

  Florida State University (FSU) is a campus with more than 40,000 students. FSU has multiple primary and secondary methods of communicating with the campus community. Primary methods include sirens, radio, and computer network pop-up windows. Secondary methods include Seminole cable television, press releases, Facebook and MySpace pages. FSU Alerts is an opt-out e-mail and text message alert system. When students register for classes, they are asked to provide their cellular phone number for this text message alert system. If students choose not to participate, they must check a disclaimer box that the student acknowledges opting-out of the system.

• University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana

  The University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (UIUC) is a campus with more than 40,000 students. The campus uses a mass notification software program called "UI-Emergency." This system sends messages via text, cell phone, email, and/or land line phone to all members of UIUC community. All faculty, staff, and students are pre-enrolled in the UI-Emergency system using their campus email address. Additional contact information must be registered online via the campus emergency page: http://emergency.uiuc.edu.

  For additional information on UIUC campus emergency communications, please see the Campus Administrative Manual.

• Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

  Louisiana State University (LSU) is a campus of approximately 30,000 students. LSU’s Emergency Text Messaging Alert system page provides information on how students, staff, and faculty can opt-in to the system. LSU Emergency Text Messaging System page also provides technical information on how the text message system works, with information on the average delivery rate, message length, and delivery failure probabilities.

• University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

  The University of Maryland (UMD) is a campus of approximately 45,000 students. UMD uses three means of notifying the campus community of emergencies: text messages and e-mail messages via UMD Alerts (opt-in subscription); early warning siren system; and Alertus Notification Beacons (Beacons are an integrated siren, strobe, and message display device mounted on walls).  

  UMD's Emergency Preparedness page also provides a link to Emergency Procedures and Actions Plans, as well as an instructional video for students on how to respond to emergency alerts on campus.

• State University of New York Oswego, Oswego, New York

  State University of New York Oswego (SUNY Oswego) is a campus with less than 10,000 students. SUNY Oswego (and other SUNY campuses) are part of the NY Alerts system, an opt-in emergency messaging service offered through New York State Emergency Management Office. The system is only for emergencies, and only SUNY Oswego University Police and Public Affairs staff have the ability to send emergency alerts to members of the Oswego campus community. The system allows e-mail, telephone and text messages to be sent automatically to all members of the campus community who have provided their contact information. Phone service can be traditional, Voice Over IP, cell or all three, depending on what recipients choose to receive.

  For more information on NY Alerts, see SUNY Oswego’s Office of Public Affairs.

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  The University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill, is a campus with more than 25,000 students. The campus recently launched Alert Carolina to educate the campus community about what to do in an emergency and where to find safety-related information and resources. In an emergency, UNC will send a text message to students, faculty and staff who have registered their cell phones in the opt-in system. In addition, UNC will utilize voice mail, campus email, television, and local media to share emergency information. UNC will also post all emergency information to its crisis information website, http://alertcarolina.unc.edu.

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA Tech)

  Virginia Tech is a campus of approximately 30,000 students. VT Alerts is Virginia Tech's urgent notification system, comprised of a variety of methods by which the university can contact students, faculty, and staff. VT Alerts uses several methods to reach the campus community, including text messages, phone calls, online instant messages, and emails. During an emergency, VT Alerts cycles through all points of contact until a confirmation receipt is issued from the user that the emergency message was received. VT Alerts is an opt-in subscription service.

Case Studies and Lessons Learned:

• National Association of Attorneys General: Task Force on School and Campus Safety, September 2007 (pdf)

  The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Task Force on School and Campus Safety report includes specific recommendations that address threat assessment, protocols for dealing with the mentally ill, information sharing among law enforcement agencies, and crisis response planning and communications.

• State of Illinois Campus Security Task Report to the Governor, April 2008 (pdf)

  The Illinois Campus Security Task Force Report includes proposals to require emergency response and violence prevention plans on college campuses. The task force also recommended the creation of a $25 million Campus Security Enhancement Grant Program, which would make available funding for campus security response and violence prevention training programs, projects to enhance emergency communications and planning and execution of campus-wide training exercises. The report also includes detailed guidance for college administrators and security officials in the areas of response, mental health, and legal issues.

• North Carolina Department of Justice Report of the Campus Safety Task Force, January 2008 (pdf)

  The North Carolina Department of Justice Task Force reported a variety of strategies for making North Carolina college and university campuses safer. The panel also recommended that North Carolina start a Center for Campus Safety to help colleges and universities keep up with new threats and the latest technology and training.

• State of Florida Gubernatorial Task Force for University Campus Safety, May 2007

  The State of Florida Gubernatorial Task Force Report highlights several key areas of improvement, including increased communication among local and university law enforcement, university and college faculty, staff and students, and state and federal partners who could assist in the event of an emergency. The Report also recommends that each college and university ensure that its emergency and critical incident plans are up-to-date, comprehensive, and regularly exercised.

• Virginia Tech Review Panel

  The Virginia Tech Review Panel was charged with investigating a broad range of issues relating to the mass tragedy. The panel conducted a thorough review of education laws, public safety and health procedures, and mental health systems. PDF versions of Report.

• Report to the United States President On Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy, June 2007 (pdf)

  In response to the shootings at Virginia Tech, President George W. Bush directed the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and Department of Justice to meet with educators, mental health experts, law enforcement and state and local officials to discuss issues raised by the shootings. The report includes recommended actions that local, state and federal authorities can take to prevent another such tragedy.

• Virginia Community Colleges Report of the Chancellor’s Emergency Preparedness Review Task Force (pdf)

  In 2008, the Chancellor of Virginia’s Community College System requested an internal review of emergency preparedness procedures and recommendations for improvement. Two of the chapters focus on emergency planning and notification systems in a commuter environment.

• International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA): Strengthening Communications Between Campus Public Safety and Federal, State, & Local Emergency Responders (pdf)

  This report is a result of collaboration by IACLEA staff members to research and present information to its members and to campus emergency management teams to enhance effective communications before, during, and after any critical campus emergency response effort.

• Department of Education: Emergency Management for Schools

  The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) sponsors Emergency Management for Schools training to provide support to school staff and administrators to enhance their preparedness efforts. Emphasis is placed on emergency management plan development within the framework of the four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. On this site, viewers can access four one-hour webcasts, each featuring one of the four phases of emergency management.

Guidelines:

• National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities: Disaster Preparedness and Response

  This site consists of a database of journal articles, news stories, studies and guidelines on emergency planning for campuses.