March 7, 2008

In light of recent events that have taken place on several college campuses in the United States, Capitol College has recently implemented a new notification system designed to alert students, faculty and staff of severe emergencies happening on campus.

"Capitol is a small school but we are facing the same kinds of risks as Virginia Tech, Delaware State and NIU," said Melinda Bunnell-Rhyne, Dean of Student Life and Retention. "It is better to be prepared with a communication system in place and never have to use it, than be taking the risk of not having it at all."

Students will have the option of choosing text message, voice mail or email as their preferred method of correspondence with the system. In addition, all computers on the campus network will feature pop-up alerts as additional notification of an event. Other precautions around campus include an improved public announcement system for the McGowan Academic Center and residence halls.

Even systems intended for safety measures are not without their glitches. New statistics are revealing that similar systems employed at other universities are not being embraced by students. Some cite laziness as a reason for not signing up, while others get caught up in a two-step activation process; they provide their phone or computer information but forget to confirm membership once prompted.

"Our system is really easy to sign up for, a one step process, and we encourage everyone to participate for maximum effectiveness," says Bunnell-Rhyne.

Messages sent to cell phones and email addresses will include information about imminent danger/emergency and recommended courses of action. The system is intended as a safety measure in the case of ongoing and severe emergencies and is not intended for weather closings or other campus events.

Should you have any questions regarding the emergency notification system, contact alertsystem@capitol-college.edu.