MTSU conducted a special emergency-alert test message for the university community Wednesday, Oct. 28, to ensure that students, faculty and staff properly receive urgent communications.

Students enter and leave MTSU’s James E. Walker Library at dusk as autumn colors flare across the quad. The university tested its Critical Notification System Wednesday, Oct. 28, with a simple email, text and voice message to more than 26,000 users to ensure that students, faculty and staff properly receive urgent communications. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

At 1:15 p.m. CDT Wednesday, MTSU’s Critical Notification System, provided by Rave Mobile Safety, sent a test message to the university’s 26,000-plus registered users via email, text and automated phone calls.

The university’s website, www.mtsu.edu, its MTSUNews.com news site, and all digital signage around the Murfreesboro campus were to display the message just as they do during an actual emergency alert, along with university social media.

The university’s Twitter account, @MTSUNews, tweeted the test alert with the @MTSUAlert emergency notification account and the @MTSU account. The alert also was posted to the MTSU and university police Facebook pages.

This process mirrors similar tests conducted in February and June. The university evaluates its systems during and after each test to pinpoint and fix any potential communication problems.

Previous tests showed a near-100 percent success rate; digital signage in campus buildings, for example, displayed the test alert messages within 30 seconds of transmission.

MTSU’s Critical Notification System is one of several components the university uses to enhance the overall safety and emergency preparedness of the campus community, officials said.

System tests are being held once each semester — on the last Wednesday of February, June and October — at the same time of day.

The university already conducts routine monthly tests of its tornado sirens on campus and at the Miller Coliseum Complex to ensure proper operations. Those tests don’t involve other components of the Critical Notification System, however.

All current MTSU students, faculty and staff automatically receive email alerts from Rave at their MTSU addresses about emergencies, weather cancellations and other critical information.

Users also can choose to receive text and/or voice alerts by adding phone numbers to their personal Rave accounts, which are accessed with their PipelineMT usernames and passwords at www.getrave.com/login/mtsu.

Non-MTSU users don’t have access to the system. Users are automatically deleted from the system when they graduate or permanently leave school or full-time employment.

You can learn more about MTSU’s Critical Notification System at its FAQ page. 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)