NIU shootings prompt GCSU Connect-Ed sign-ups to rise

     As tragedy continues to strike college campuses around the nation, the Office of University Communications and the Public Safety Department of GCSU are encouraging students to sign up for the Connect-Ed Campus Alert System.
     So far about 1,975 students, faculty and staff members have signed up for the service that would send text messages in the case of an emergency on campus.
     That is about one-third of the campus, which is better than the national average of around 27 percent, according to Judy Bailey, the public relations specialist at University Communications.
     “We really would like for everyone to take this alert system as a good means to protect themselves,” Bailey said.
In the past month there have been five school shootings, including last Thursday’s tragedy at Northern Illinois University that left six students dead and 15 more injured. In western Tennessee a tornado ripped through dormitories at Union University on Feb. 5.
     Dave Groseclose, interim director of Public Safety, said these are exactly the types of emergencies that the Connect-Ed system would be used for.
     “In the event of a tornado-type situation or an active shooter our first job is to make the determination if we need to get the message out to our students and faculty,” Groseclose said. “If we make the determination that we need to, we’ll get it out there to everyone who has signed up for it.”
     Groseclose does not understand why more students have not signed up for the program.
     Erin Gorman, a junior business management major, signed up for Connect-Ed as soon as she heard about it.
     “I want to be able to know if (an emergency) is going on, on campus,” Gorman said. “It seems like the text message system is the fastest way to find out.”
     Gorman thinks the reason some students have not signed up is because they do not think an emergency would ever happen at GCSU, or they just do not know about it.
     “(College aged people) tend to think they are invincible,”   Bailey said. “What our fear is, is that if we do have an emergency that requires a Connect-Ed (message), that people who have not opted in will learn the importance possibly the hard way.”
     Nick Bennett, a senior physical education major, said he had never heard of the program.
     “I don’t really know much about it,” Bennett said. “Actually, the first I heard about it was in an e-mail today. But, with all the stuff going on at other schools, like the NIU shooting, it seems like a good idea.”
     Gorman suggested that GCSU place a stronger emphasis on the program.
     “They need to put fliers in more prominent places or maybe even have teachers mention it in class,” Gorman said. “I don’t think a lot of students check their school e-mail so they don’t really know anything about it.”
     If a message ever were to be sent out for a weather situation, it would inform students that the National Weather Service has issued a warning, such as a tornado warning and notify them of any actions they need to take.
     Bailey said that the message would also include a time in which a follow-up message would be sent.
     “We wouldn’t leave the students and faculty hanging with a warning without following it up,” Bailey said.
     Bailey also said the university is currently working to set up standard messages that would be sent in response to different emergencies on campus.
     “Connect-Ed is not the end all to itself,” Bailey said. “If a text message ever goes out, we would also put (the information) on the Web site, we would also put out e-mails, and go door-to-door to make sure that people have heard the sound of the alarm.”
     Groseclose said he wanted to ensure students that public safety officers are trained to handle emergencies on campus.
     “All of our officers have been through training to respond to an active shooter,” Groseclose said. “They know what to do, they have actually gone into some areas where they did not know what they were going to encounter, but they had the guts to go in.”
     Groseclose and Davies also said students need to remember that if they change their phone numbers they must register their new number with Connect-Ed.
     “The Connect-Ed system is to ensure the safety and well-being of the campus community,” Bailey said. “We want to ensure that it reaches as many of the students, faculty and staff as it possibly can.”

1. Login to the myCATS.
2. Click on the “Student” tab.
3. Locate the “PAWS Links” channel and select “Personal Info.”
4. Click “Connect for Safety.”
5. Type in your cell phone number and click “Submit Campus Alert Number.”
6. Return to myCATS and logout.
7. Reply to text message asking to opt-in when you receive it.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 22 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry