The Triangle

Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: News
Originally published: 5/4/07 at 3:15 AM EST
Last update: 5/4/07 at 3:44 AM EST

Media Credit: Eric Larson DrexelOne Mobile, originally created to allow student access to academic records via cell phone, will now also be used by public safety to contact students in a crisis and for students to contact public safety in an emergency.

In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre many universities are looking solve the problem of communicating students in the event of an emergency and 'texting' is the leading solution.

At Drexel, officials plan to use text messaging to notify students in the event of a campus crisis.

The new alert system, which was released April 21, allows users to register their cell phone with the university in order to receive the alerts.

The original idea for mobile notification was intended to send academic information from DrexelOne Mobile, such as grades, cancelled classes or notification of academic and financial holds placed on students' records to cell phones.

"Drexel built its system from the ground up in 2002 because no one else offered such a solution then," Ken Blackney, associate vice president of Information Resources & Technology, said in an e-mail to The Triangle.

The University has adapted the system that will allow users to subscribe to different sets of alerts. This includes messages from public safety, Drexel news and academic information.

Through mobile notification, each message is sent as a single text message and subscriber will be charged in accordance to their contract with their cell phone provider.

Officials at Drexel said that almost 500 people have signed up for the text message alerts over the past two weeks and they are encouraging more to follow suit.

"I think this is a valuable resource tool for our community and I really encourage people to take advantage of the opportunity and register," said Ben Gollotti, senior associate vice president for Public Safety.

School officials want students to be aware that through mobile notification only serious events will be sent to their phones, such as weather emergencies or other dangerous events.

"Emergencies alerted will be strictly critical incidents that need immediate attention," Gollotti said.

With the popularity of cell phones text messaging offers an ideal solution to get information out to a large group of people explained Gollotti.

Aside from mobile notification and e-mail, Drexel is equipped with available safety features such as voice mail messages, phone trees, local TV and radio alerts, information panels, Web site information, flyers, word of mouth, bullhorns and public announcement systems on public safety vehicles.

Anyone interested in signing up for the mobile notification system can sign up through DrexelOne by clicking the mobile notification link in the technology services channel of the Drexel tab. Sign up requires a mobile phone number and a carrier name. A successful registration will result in a confirmation message sent to the individual's mobile phone.

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