MTSU will briefly test its emergency alert system Wednesday, Feb. 22, with a special message for the university’s 25,300-plus registered users via email, text and automated phone calls.

MTSU students take advantage of the spring-like late-winter weather outside the Student Union and Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors College Building. The university will test its Critical Notification System Wednesday, Feb. 22, with a simple email, text and voice message to more than 25,000 users to ensure that students, faculty and staff properly receive urgent communications. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

The test of MTSU’s Critical Notification System, conducted each semester by the University Police Department, is set for 1:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Students, faculty and staff will automatically receive a test email to ensure the emergency system is working properly. Those who’ve added phone numbers to their notification preferences will also receive a text message and/or recorded phone call.

“We encourage our community members to be connected by the various means available for receiving the alerts,” said MTSU Police Lt. Broede Stucky, who serves as the department’s emergency operations and public information officer.

“Doing so increases the likelihood they’ll receive important and timely information that could assist in their personal safety.”

The university’s website, www.mtsu.edu, its MTSUNews.com news site, and all digital signage around the Murfreesboro campus will display the test message just as they do during a real emergency, along with the university’s primary social media channels.

Click on the MTSU Police Department’s logo to visit the university’s FAQ page for its critical notifications system and “Alert4U” tips.

The university’s Twitter account, @MTSUNews, will tweet the test alert, and the alert also will post to the MTSU and university police Facebook pages.

MTSU evaluates its Critical Notification System each semester during and after each test to pinpoint and fix any potential problems.

Previous tests continue to show a near-100 percent message success rate, and digital signage in campus buildings displayed the test alerts within 30 seconds of transmission.

All current MTSU students, faculty and staff can verify and update their Rave notification preferences by using their PipelineMT usernames and passwords at www.getrave.com/login/mtsu.

You can learn more about MTSU’s Critical Notification System at www.mtsu.edu/alert4u and at its FAQ page, www.mtsu.edu/alert4u/faqs.php. Information about the alert system is also always available on the university’s weather information page, www.mtsunews.com/weather.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)