MTSU to test RAVE safety alert system for spring with emails, texts, calls

MTSU students take advantage of the springlike 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. 28, 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 photo by Andy Heidt)

MTSU will briefly test its emergency alert system Wednesday, Feb. 27, with a special message for the university’s 25,000-plus registered users via email, text and automated phone calls.

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

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.

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.

All current MTSU students, faculty and staff can verify and update their Rave notification preferences by using their university 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.

MTSU tests and evaluates its Critical Notification System each semester 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.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)