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Students at the University of Utah are being encouraged to sign up for a new campus alert system. It's one of the changes that came after the shootings at Virginia Tech.
Students who participate in the voluntary program will receive e-mail alerts, text messages or voice mails when there's a campus-wide emergency.
Spokeswoman Coralee Alder says the whole idea is to get the right information to people quickly.
"There are always rumors spreading. Students are texting each other. They are texting their parents in the community. Our whole purpose here is to get the accurate information out," she said.
The University of Utah will have the first system in the state that gives students the option of a text message, e-mail, or a voice message. There have been similar systems at other schools around the state, those systems primarily use e-mail.
Students we talked to on campus today say if there were an emergency, a cell phone would be the best option. Shannon Almond said, "If there is a shooting, everyone needs to know about it. The easiest way would definitely be a cell phone." And David Stevens said, "I think if there is an emergency, they should use every means possible to contact students to let them know what is going on."
Alder says the system will be used for emergencies and will also include things like snow closures, blocked roads, power outages and gas leaks.
The standard campus e-mail will still be sent out during an emergency, but if students want to use the other options available, they will need to sign up through the campus information system Web site. It is free.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
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