Safety-Related Communication to the Community

Public Safety communicates with campus community members in three ways. Two of those methods, Emergency Notifications and Safety Advisories, are federally mandated while the third, Flyer Aware Message, is not. The University uses these three methods for different purposes, but all are meant to provide information community members can use.

Emergency Notification

The federal government requires institutions of higher education to send an emergency notification when a significant emergency or dangerous situation occurs on campus that poses an immediate or impending threat to health or safety. The Department of Public Safety issues these notifications immediately upon confirmation of the existence of such danger or emergency.

Emergency notifications are sent via the mass notification system, Send Word Now, which can deliver both text and voice messages to University-owned and personal devices. These messages will provide pertinent information including instructions on what to do in this emergency situation. Depending upon how long the situation lasts, you may receive updates to provide further instructions. You will always receive an "all clear" once the situation concludes.

To make sure your personal device's information is included in your Send Word Now profile, visit the Emergency Preparedness page and follow the simple instruction guide to access and update your profile via the self-registration portal located on Porches. 

Safety Advisories

The federal government requires institutions of higher education to send Timely Warning Notifications, which the University calls Safety Advisories, to alert the campus community to certain crimes in a timely manner to aid in the prevention of similar crimes. The department assesses reports of Clery-reportable crimes occurring on Clery geography to determine when the criteria for this notification are met. 

Safety Advisories are sent via email using the University's distribution lists that contain all faculty, staff and student email addresses. 

Flyer Aware Messages

The Department created Flyer Aware Messages in 2017 as a way to share information with the community when a situation that could impact health or safety does not meet the criteria of an Emergency Notification or Safety Advisory. These messages could be sent for non-emergency situations that occur on or near campus that could affect the campus community.

Flyer Aware messages are sent via email using the University's distribution lists that contain all faculty, staff and student email addresses. 

The chart located at this link can be helpful in comparing and contrasting the types of messaging described.