2008 Woodie Awards
New Emergency Service
Denise Graham
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Emergency Notification Service email sent by Telecommunications Director Pam Fueshko informs students and faculty that the University has adopted the Emergency Notification Service, Connect-ED, from The NTI Group, Inc.
If an unexpected event or emergency arises on campus, Fueshko is in charge of preparing and sending out the notification alert to students and faculty right away.
"If an emergency does take place, University police are first contacted," said Fueshko. "I don't do anything unless notified by [university president] Dr. Speert or Chief Michael Horvath."
After notified by executive management, Fueshko logs on to the web browser and records the message needed to inform students and faculty of the situation. Within minutes, the emergency notification is released through phone calls, emails and/or text messages.
"The intent is not to abuse this and bombard you with messages," Fueshko said, "but simply to tell students what they should do and what is going on when a situation occurs."
More than $23,000 is being spent this year for the operation and maintenance of Connect-ED. This includes a $2 subscriber fee for students and employees. The cost is being borne from the Telecommunications Office budget.
The last count tallied about 2,000 students and faculty members' subscribers for the notification service.
Although it wasn't until campus security was intensified by the tragic events at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. that the State of New Jersey mandated that college campuses must provide some sort of notification alert system in case of an emergency, Fueshko said she has always felt strongly about it.
"I have been pushing this for a while," she said.
Several other college campuses, including Princeton, Loyola, Drew University, NJCU and Santa Monica University in California, have selected this specific system, Connect-ED.
"Just like all technology, the system is not fallible," Fueshko said. "We are dependant on technology systems being up and running and for you to have your phone on as well."
Although it is not a requirement for everyone to subscribe to Connect-ED, Fueshko believes that Speert's intentions are for the entire campus community to be part of Connect-ED in the future.
If you are part of the large percent of students and faculty who has not yet subscribed to Connect-ED, it is time to take the step and make sure that if a situation occurs, you will be notified and able to take the right precautions.
To sign up, log in to WPConnect; click on Emergency Notification Service Sign Up under Campus Announcements.
If an unexpected event or emergency arises on campus, Fueshko is in charge of preparing and sending out the notification alert to students and faculty right away.
"If an emergency does take place, University police are first contacted," said Fueshko. "I don't do anything unless notified by [university president] Dr. Speert or Chief Michael Horvath."
After notified by executive management, Fueshko logs on to the web browser and records the message needed to inform students and faculty of the situation. Within minutes, the emergency notification is released through phone calls, emails and/or text messages.
"The intent is not to abuse this and bombard you with messages," Fueshko said, "but simply to tell students what they should do and what is going on when a situation occurs."
More than $23,000 is being spent this year for the operation and maintenance of Connect-ED. This includes a $2 subscriber fee for students and employees. The cost is being borne from the Telecommunications Office budget.
The last count tallied about 2,000 students and faculty members' subscribers for the notification service.
Although it wasn't until campus security was intensified by the tragic events at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. that the State of New Jersey mandated that college campuses must provide some sort of notification alert system in case of an emergency, Fueshko said she has always felt strongly about it.
"I have been pushing this for a while," she said.
Several other college campuses, including Princeton, Loyola, Drew University, NJCU and Santa Monica University in California, have selected this specific system, Connect-ED.
"Just like all technology, the system is not fallible," Fueshko said. "We are dependant on technology systems being up and running and for you to have your phone on as well."
Although it is not a requirement for everyone to subscribe to Connect-ED, Fueshko believes that Speert's intentions are for the entire campus community to be part of Connect-ED in the future.
If you are part of the large percent of students and faculty who has not yet subscribed to Connect-ED, it is time to take the step and make sure that if a situation occurs, you will be notified and able to take the right precautions.
To sign up, log in to WPConnect; click on Emergency Notification Service Sign Up under Campus Announcements.
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