By Julia Gardiner
Public safety implemented the first University-wide test of the Campus Alert Notification Network (CANN) during common hour on Wednesday as part of emergency awareness week.
The test was intended to make sure an emergency message would be disseminated properly through several available media: text messages, telephone calls, a scroll bar across television stations, a siren and message broadcast over loudspeakers on campus, a pop-up message on all University computers, an announcement on the HofCast network and a message recorded on 463-1234 (the opposite of 463-SNOW).
“I’m sure that our system is more inclusive than any other university,” said Ed Bracht, director of Public Safety, adding, “I think we have everything covered. This was our first University-wide test. We feel everybody will get the message.”
The test reportedly reached 13,870 students and employees and, Bracht said, should boost the number signed up for the program. Bracht deemed the test successful. “I think overall it was very successful. There were a few small things we need to tweak,” Bracht said. “Some of the things we have already corrected.”
Students who received the telephone calls were instructed to press one at the end of the message, to indicate that the student had listened. “It tells us who got the message,” Bracht said. “It would be happening during an emergency also. We want to ensure that people get the message.”
The telephone message was not left in a voice mail, and Bracht received a few calls from students who didn’t recognize the number of the missed call.
Another medium Public Safety relies on to spread messages in the event on an emergency is word of mouth. Many students were talking about the calls and felt that the system would be effective. “It’s effective. It’s good,” said junior public relations major Janine Janson. “If I got that notification now, I’ll probably get it in a crisis.”
Janson appreciated receiving both the text message and the call, but preferred the text message. “It’s good they have a text because if you’re in class, you can’t answer the phone, said Janson. “I would rather get a text message because most of the time I’m in class or at work where I can’t answer the phone.”
Anna Swinarski, freshman International Business major said that she would not pick up the phone if she did not recognise the number, although she did appreciate the range of opportunities that were available to broadcast the message. “I didn’t know what the number was. If I get an unknown number and I’m in class I just let it go to voice mail,” Swinarski said. “I think the text is more practical, but in an emergency situation its good that they have both.”
Some students complained that they did not receive text messages until long after they should have been sent out. “I was in a meeting in Dempster with Maggie when others got the message. Someone got it at 11:30, another person at 11:35, before the alarm & loudspeaker message was heard around 11:40am,” said senior public relations and jewish studies major Amanda Graber. “I did not receive the text message until 12:14pm. I have Cingular service–I signed up for the CANN messages the first week of school, so honestly I don’t know why it took so long.” Bracht said that the reason there were seven different ways to get the message in the event of an emergency was to give students who experienced such a delay another possibility.
The delay could be attributed to the high volume of text being sent at once. “When you’re sending out 1,400 text messages, it does take time,” Bracht said. “That part is a little bit out of our control. It really depends on situation, time of day.”
Apart from the test, which was conducted during common hour, fire drills will be held in all residence halls from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. all week, tables will be set up in the student center with Public Safety representatives on hand to answer questions, and the Dean of Students office sponsored personal safety workshops on Nov. 12 and 14 in the Cultural Center Theater.
Many students did not receive text messages until long after the approximate 1,400 were sent. (Stephen Cooney)