Tornadoes launch Connect-Ed texts
Messages identical to this were sent to 40 percent of the GCSU campus last Wednesday night as bad weather hit Milledgeville. But who sent these text messages, and why are students all over campus receiving them?
“I got a call and text,” said Jessica Bell, senior, criminal justice major, “so I turned on the TV to keep watch over the storm.”
After the tragic Virginia Tech shootings, the board of regents required all college campuses to come up with a program so campus securities can quickly inform students on what is going on. Connect-Ed is the program that GCSU adopted in the Spring of 2007. It is an online company that provides easy access to a large range of people with the press of a button. The program is used on the GCSU campus to warn students in the event of a dangerous situation. A text message, voice call and an e-mail are sent to everyone signed up for the program in the event of a severe weather warning, a campus emergency or an emergency closing of campus.
Justin Gaines, coordinator of environmental health and occupational safety, explained how the incidents at Virginia Tech changed the face of campus law enforcement.
“Campus law enforcement officers before Virginia Tech were seen as security officers more than anything, but now campus law enforcement officers all over have made the switch from security to police officers,” said Gaines.
Gaines is the man in charge when it comes to Connect-Ed at GCSU. He has an office located in Terrell hall where his desk is covered with a map of all the buildings on campus. A weather alert system sits on his windowsill, a television tuned into the weather channel sits behind his desk and the computer with the link to Connect-Ed is always close by to help make sure he can keep watch on the safety of the GCSU campus. Gaines also has the ability to sign on to Connect-Ed from his home computer to inform students if weather turns bad late at night.
“I stay up all night watching the weather if I have to,” said Gaines, “I won’t send a message at two in the morning if there is a power outing at school, but if the weather is bad enough I will send a message, no matter the time.”
An important part of the GCSU’s Connect-Ed program is that the messages are only sent in emergency situations. Gaines explained that he did not want students to de-synthesize themselves to the messages, so he will not send messages to inform students of mundane things, such as registration or class updates. A message is sent through Connect-Ed when there is a power outing at school, a chemical spill, the weather turns bad or extreme cases, such as a gunman or intruder on campus.
“I really think Connect-Ed is a great system,” said Terren Partridge, GCSU sophomore and nursing major. “After seeing the Virginia Tech tragedy, it’s nice to know that if something like that ever happened here, I would be one of the firsts to know through this system,” Partridge said. ” Knowledge is power and I’d rather get annoyed by the messages and be safe than in danger.”
These messages are great to inform students, but they do come at a cost. Students signed up for the program are not charged to use Connect-Ed. The only fees they can receive are through their cellular service provider and text message plan. The school on the other hand is being charged by Connect-Ed, but is not charged with each message sent. A flat rate is decided based on the number of students signed up to receive the messages and then a package is picked depending on length of the package.
“GCSU is locked in to a three-year package for Connect-Ed,” said Gaines. “We pay around $12,000-$14,000 a year to use the program.”
All students, faculty and workers are encouraged to sign up for the program, so they can be informed quickly of information. To learn more about Connect-Ed and find out how to sign up go to www.gcsu.edu/alert.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 27 2009. Filed under News.
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