OU Plans Test of Emergency Text Alert System Tuesday

Oakland University will send a text message and voicemail alert to its campus community on Tuesday to test the university's emergency alert system.

But the students, faculty and employees are to be advised: it's only a test.

According to a message posted on the home page of the OU website, campus police and communications personnel use the alert system to spread news to "protect the health, safety and welfare of the campus community. Students and employees can sign up for the alert system at oakland.edu/ready. 

The test is planned for about 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The test is conducted once each semester. In November, a similar test was planned on the campus; however, rather than indicate that the test was only a test, it sent a voicemail message about shots being fired on the campus. 

According to a report in the Oakland Post campus newspaper, that message said "The Oakland University Police Department has received reports of shots fired on campus. The suspect is currently at large and the campus is on lockdown.”

Immediately after the message was sent, students and faculty went to Facebook to ask what was going on; campus officials soon responded with  a message on the university website and on Facebook stating that there was no emergency. A university official stated that the school was working to ensure the mistake did not happen again.