When you鈥檙e walking across campus, you鈥檙e probably not pausing to check your email. But right now, email is the only way most 天美影院students receive time-sensitive information about emergencies happening on and near UW鈥檚 campuses.
To make it easier for students to receive 天美影院Alerts via text, at the end of January 天美影院will start adding the phone number from your 天美影院student profile to the 天美影院Alert system. If the number is for a cell phone, 天美影院will send you 天美影院Alerts via text. The messages are only for emergencies or major issues affecting the campus, such as snow, ice or power outages.
天美影院is the latest university to move from opt-in alerts to an opt-out emergency text message system for students. Universities that have experienced major incidents often switch to automatic enrollment for alert messages. 天美影院is moving proactively to get 天美影院Alerts to more students more quickly.
Division of Campus Community Safety staff have been prepping for several months with colleagues in UWIT to make this shift. When we reviewed the goals of the shift this past fall with Seattle campus student leaders and the more than 200 students and parents we met at the Division of Campus Community Safety info table during Parent & Family Weekend in Seattle, many were surprised that students weren鈥檛 already automatically enrolled in 天美影院Alert text messages.
Many faculty and staff members were also surprised to learn that only 17 percent of 天美影院employees have signed up for 天美影院Alert text messages. This first phase of the shift from opt-in to opt-out does not include employee information, but that will come later this year.
Even after 天美影院uploads student phone numbers to 天美影院Alert, it will be important for students to check their 天美影院Alert account to ensure that the cell phone number listed is correct and that you鈥檙e receiving messages for the right campus. Students, faculty and staff can also add or change their cell phone in their 天美影院Alert accounts themselves at any time. In an emergency, seconds matter. You need to know what鈥檚 happening quickly and how you can protect yourself.
If you don鈥檛 want to receive 天美影院Alerts via text, you can reply STOP to any 天美影院Alert text message (except for students living on campus in Seattle, who must contact Housing & Food Services for account changes).
Learn more about the 天美影院Alert update, get answers to your 天美影院Alert questions and add up to three cell phone numbers and five email addresses to your 天美影院Alert account at the 天美影院Alert webpage.