University of Montana plans text message alert system

The University of Montana may use text messaging as part of an integrated emergency alert system with the ability to notify students of any campus-wide crisis, said Jim Lemcke, director of the Office of Public Safety.

The system would be able to warn enough students and administrators almost instantly to allow word to spread. Students would then know about the nature of the emergency and how to stay out of harm’s way, Lemcke told the Kaimin Tuesday.

Story by Mark Page
Montana Kaimin

Since the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech, Public Safety at UM has been trying to assess its own capabilities in dealing with such a situation.

There will be four components to the plan: Telephone services would have a speed-dialing list to notify all administrative assistants and resident assistants, Information Technology Services would be able to send out mass e-mails to all students, Verizon subscribers would receive a mass text message and a reverse 911 system would allow telephone calls from Missoula County Disaster and Emergency Services.

Lemcke described the initial process of deciding how to tackle this problem.

“We looked at what a lot of other people (schools) do,” he said. “Some people jumped right on with emergency management businesses, but there was a cost to those. Rather than just a knee-jerk reaction, we have services on campus, let’s utilize them.”

Two parts of the plan are already in place, the speed-dialing list and the mass e-mails; Public Safety just wants to improve the procedure for carrying them out. The University is not yet capable of implementing the reverse 911 system or the Verizon text message plan.

The Verizon plan could be operational as soon as Oct. 1, Lemcke said, but that depends entirely on the company. The reverse 911 system depends upon the county’s input.

For a student to be notified through the text messaging system, they must be a Verizon subscriber and must sign up for the service. Mass text-messaging would be free for both the University and students so long as it is conducted solely through Verizon.

ASUM President Dustin Leftridge said he fully supports the plan but does not agree with the method for putting it into place.

“We need to design a system that students would have to opt out of,” he said. “If students feel it is an invasion of their privacy.”

Lemcke had looked at some campuses that use audible sirens to warn students. Leftridge said text messaging is a far better way of informing students than a general alert because it allows them to get information about the nature of the emergency.

“If I hear an air-raid siren I’m going to go to the window and look for bombers,” Leftridge said. “It just causes mass confusion.”

Residence Life Director Ron Brunell said RAs would notify students that fail to receive electronic warning immediately of any emergency by simply knocking on their doors.

In a perfect scenario, Brunell said RAs would be able to notify all dorm residents in about five minutes. But because during a real-life emergency many RAs would be out of their buildings attending class, or out on personal business, a more realistic timeframe would be about 15 minutes, he said.

If a student is in class during an emergency and they did not have a Verizon phone, it would be likely several classmates would receive the message. Lemcke said around 80 to 90 percent of UM students use Verizon.

“We just need three people to stand up in class and say ‘Oh shit,’” Lemcke said.

Students will be notified of any situation on campus even if there is no immediate danger, Lemcke said. This will let students know what happened in an organized fashion and avoid a potential panic.

Along with the alert system, university administrators have been operating an informal group to monitor students whose behavior warrants concern. This group is composed of Lemcke, Brunell, Dean of Students Charles Couture, Disability Services director Jim Marks, Curry Health Center director Dave Bell and associate psychology professor Christine Fiore.

If a student exhibits behavior any group member considers troubling, they get together and discuss ways to get the student appropriate attention. They do not meet regularly, only when a member has an issue-usually several times a semester, Couture said.

“We meet from time to time to discuss situations regarding students that have brought attention to themselves and may have emotional problems,” Couture said. “Specifically we try to get them help from a mental health professional.”

At last week’s ASUM meeting, Lemcke cautioned that the group’s purpose is not to reprimand students for breaking rules.

“That is not an enforcement arm,” he said.

Leftridge said he supports these moves because they let students know more about potential dangers affecting them as they get through college.

“It’s important to let students know what’s going on,” he said. “I’m glad Public Safety is rolling on this.”

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