MTSU conducts summer-semester RAVE safety alert test for campus community

MTSU students gather to visit, study and relax along the quad outside the James E. Walker Library on a late June afternoon with the new Science Building in the background. The university will test its Critical Notification System today, June 27, 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)

MTSU briefly tested its emergency alert system Wednesday, June 27, for the summer semester 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, was held at 1:15 p.m.

The university’s website, www.mtsu.edu, its MTSUNews.com news site, and all digital signage around the Murfreesboro campus displayed 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, tweeted the test alert, and the alert also posted 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 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.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)

MTSU students gather to visit, study and relax along the quad outside the James E. Walker Library on a late June afternoon with the new Science Building in the background. The university tested its Critical Notification System for the summer semester June 27 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)