The University of North Texas conducted a routine test of its Eagle Alert system April 22. The system is tested once each semester.
UNT rolled out Eagle Alert to notify campus with immediate emergency information in fall 2007.
Eagle Alert allows UNT administrators to quickly contact campus community members by phone about emergency situations affecting the safety and well-being of people on and around the UNT campus.
The system sends recorded voice messages to the phones, including cell phones, of all active faculty, staff and students. The system also can send text messages to cell phones if the cell phone user has granted the system permission to do so.
Eagle Alert only will be used for critical situations, including:
- campus closings because of inclement weather
- public safety emergencies like chemical spills, fires or violence
Messages will not only notify the campus about the situation but also will let people know what kind of action they need to take.
The decision to activate the Eagle Alert system for a message will be made by: the president, chief of police, provost and vice president of academic affairs, or vice president for finance and administration.In order for the system to work effectively, UNT's students, faculty and staff must add their phone numbers into the system by logging in at my.unt.edu. Click on the green Eagle Alert banner to go to a page where you can provide or update three phone numbers – cell, home and office phone numbers.
- On the Phone Numbers page, you also will be able to indicate if you would like text messages sent to your cell phone.
Eagle Alert is operated by Connect - ED, a service that NTI Group provides to universities and schools.
Eagle Alert notifies campus with immediate emergency information; @UNTEagleAlert on Twitter provides real-time updates
Students, staff and faculty should update their phone numbers in my.unt.edu.
UNT uses a system called Eagle Alert to quickly notify you with critical information in an emergency.
Eagle Alert allows UNT administrators to quickly contact campus community members by phone about emergency situations affecting the safety and well being of people on and around the UNT campus. The system sends voice messages to the phones, including cell phones, of all active faculty, staff and students. The system also can send text messages to cell phones if you grant the system permission to do so before hand.
And @UNTEagleAlert is UNT's official campus emergency Twitter account. By following @UNTEagleAlert, you will receive emergency messages and updates in real time to keep you informed.
What's an emergency?
Eagle Alert and @UNTEagleAlert are only used in critical situations including:
- severe weather with imminent dangerous conditions affecting campus, such as tornado warnings
- campus closings due to inclement weather
- health and public safety emergencies like chemical spills, fires or violence
Messages not only notify you about the situation but also let you know what kind of action you need to take.
Who decides what you will hear?
The decision to activate the Eagle Alert system is made by any of the following people:
- President or designee
- Provost
- Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Vice President for Student Affairs
- Chief of Police or designee
- Senior Police Supervisor on duty
- Sr. Risk Management Director or designee
What will happen when the university closes?
When a decision is made to close the university, UNT will notify you by:
- sending an Eagle Alert message
- providing the information to campus telephone operators
- posting a message to the university web site
- posting a message on the UNT Facebook page
- tweeting a message from @UNTEagleAlert
- sending campus emails
- informing news media
If the university is closed for more than one day, you should check the UNT web site at www.unt.edu, the UNT Facebook page and @UNTEagleAlert for the latest information. The university also will continue providing updated information on Facebook and Twitter, to campus telephone operators, and will inform news media.
How can you make sure it works?
All students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in the EagleAlert system using the telephone numbers you provided to UNT during your registration or hiring process. You should check your contact information regularly and update it as soon as it changes by logging in at my.unt.edu.
- on your My Page, click on the Update Eagle Alert link to go directly to a page where you can update three phone numbers – cell, home and office. In case of an emergency, a message will be sent to all your phone numbers.
- on the Phone Numbers page, you can indicate if you would like text messages sent to your cell phone.
A message will be sent to all the numbers you provide anytime Eagle Alert is used.
To be sure you'll receive Twitter messages, simply follow @UNTEagleAlert. Consider turning on your mobile device's notification settings so that you will see our emergency tweets as they are delivered.
Like other emergency alert systems, Eagle Alert and @UNTEagleAlert are tested once each fall and spring semester by University Relations, Communications and Marketing; Risk Management Services or the UNT Police Department by sending test messages to the university community. Additional limited tests are conducted if needed.
Who runs the service?
Eagle Alert is operated by Blackboard Connect, that provides the same product to other universities and schools including Texas Tech, Baylor, University of Dallas and the Richardson Independent School District. UNT's University Relations, Communications and Marketing division manages @UNTEagleAlert.
