Portland State University has recently expanded the campus Emergency Notification Plan to include an innovative new project—“PSU Alert.” Students and faculty have encountered “PSU Alert” while accessing BanWeb Spring term, being prompted to enroll in a notification service by providing personal contact information. In the event of an emergency, students and faculty have the option to be contacted in up to four ways: Phone, text message, email, and alternate email.
The “PSU Alert” system can be accessed by six members of PSU executive management, in response to 32 possible disaster scenarios which would pose danger to PSU community members. After an alert has been initiated, the system will attempt to contact students/faculty until the alert is acknowledged or the situation has been resolved. Those contacted via phone will receive an automated call, identified as “877-725-9111.” The callerID number includes both the PSU campus prefix “725” and the suffix “9111”—and will be used only for notification purposes.
The launch of “PSU Alert” is an outgrowth of the Virginia Tech tragedy, which inspired PSU administration to develop a more comprehensive emergency response program. In January 2008, PSU contracted with 3n National Notification Network, a company also selected by Virginia Tech from 98 potential vendors. The project was implemented very quickly, as a result of team collaboration within the university. Students and faculty have shown support and appreciation for “PSU Alert”, with over half of those that have accessed enrollment information opting in; a total of 1/3 of the PSU community has chosen to participate.
Visit your BanWeb account to enroll.
