Miami University tests their emergency text messaging system to better serve students

BY MOLLY NICHOLAS

Miami University journalism student

Miami University tested itsemergency notification system on September 25th at 1:20 p.m. After the test, students were asked to take surveys on the effectiveness of the emergency notification system.

The test comes after two emergency situations last week where students received text alerts. One involved a man with a gun in Peffer Park and another involved a gas leak at Miami’s Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester.

Emergency notification test

Each year, the university tests its emergency notification system to ensure all the methods officials use to contact people are efficient and working. An annual test is required by the Department of Education standards.

"We realize it's an obtrusive thing to do, so we try to only do it once a year," said Miami University Police Department Capt. Ben Spilman.

The annual test coincidentally happened after both of those events and not because there was an issue with the test, Spilman said.

Threshold for notifications

Miami University sends out notifications using the emergency system depending on whether or not an urgent notification would be helpful to students.

"It's not a comment on the seriousness of any type of crime," Spilman said.

Instead, it has to do with if the notification that goes out to students will be able to help them avoid putting themselves in danger. Take for example, the incident with a man waving a gun in Peffer Park.

"We don't know who might be going to Peffer Park for a walk in the woods or any type of activity, but someone there with a gun obviously poses a threat of high risk," Spilman said.

Miami University student Miranda Conway is signed up for the emergency text notifications. Her parents, who live in Cleveland, are also signed up.

"I go on runs in the Peffer Park area all the time, so this text was really helpful to me," Conway said. "Especially because I don't live that close to Peffer Park, I would have no idea something was going on unless I showed up while police were there, which wouldn't have been safe."

Her mom even sent her a screenshot of the text to make sure she was OK. Conway said it's helpful that her parents can get notifications so they're alerted to issue on and around campus.

Incidents like these are examples where a text message can help avoid a potential threat to the community. Because of this, people signed up won't be notified about sexual assaults on campus in the same way. Typically, Miami police learn about sexual assaults after the fact, so sending out a text to students isn't helpful to the timeliness of the situation, Spilman said. Instead, students get notified by email of such reported crimes.

Issues with the emergency notification system

Although the system has been helpful in notifying students, there have some problems in the past.

The Miami police department has had problems with certain cell phone carriers and their inability to handle the capacity of the emergency text messages. The messages were failing to go through with a local cell phone carrier, so police worked with the vendor, e2campus, and the carrier to fix the situation, Spilman said.

"That's one of the reasons that we test, it gives us the ability to go in and look at who the carriers are and if it's a problem with the user or the carrier," he said.

Another issue that occurs commonly is that people forget to update their cell phone numbers in the system when they change them.

The Clery Act

Colleges across America work with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, which requires colleges and universities to inform people about crime on and around campus, according to Miami University’s website.

Miami lists its crimes to be reported as: criminal homicide, sex offenses, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft, arson, domestic and dating violence, stalking, hate crimes and liquor, drug, and weapons law violations.

In order to fulfill the Clery Act, Miami partnered with e2campus, to inform students about crimes and incidents on campus. According to its website, e2campus was started after the founders read about an incident where a student may have avoided rape and murder if she had known there was a criminal loose on her campus. This inspired the idea to send out alerts from a single interface to mobile phones, e-mails and websites quickly and easily.

Emergency text messaging in Oxford

The Oxford police department also uses an emergency text messaging system called Nixle. Nixle sends out police alerts by text message and e-mail about incidents in the Oxford community. In order to sign up for Nixle, visit the city's website.

If you would like to sign up for Miami's emergency text messaging system, visit their website.

Photo 1: A Miami University student opens their text message to find the emergency text messaging test notification asking them to complete a survey. -- Photo by Molly Nicholas

Photo 2: A example of the text message sent out by Miami University police informing students of the test. -- Photo by Molly Nicholas