Emergency Communications Test Set for Oct. 29

The second test of Hamilton's new campuswide emergency communications system will take place on Monday, Oct. 29. All Hamilton students and employees will receive a phone call, e-mail and/or text message between 11 and 11:30 a.m.

The system is being put in place to enable faster notification with students and employees in the event of an imminent threat to personal safety.

When fully operational, Hamilton's notification system will enable contact with students and employees within minutes of an emergency using four different modes of communication:

• Voice messages to home, work and cell phones
• Text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices
• Written messages to e-mail accounts
• Messages to TTY/TDD receiving devices for the hearing-impaired.

The first test of the system in late September did not include the SMS text message feature. In order to receive emergency text messages from the college, students and employees must first provide Hamilton with their cell phone numbers and then opt-in to the system. On Friday, Oct. 26, all students and employees for whom the college currently has cell phone numbers will receive a text message that begins "You asked to receive 1812 alerts." The message will then prompt recipients to reply with "Y 1812."  Only those who reply affirmatively will be placed on the list to receive future emergency notices from the college, including the test message scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29. 

All students and employees are strongly encouraged to participate in this emergency notification system by agreeing to receive text messages and providing the college with personal cell phone numbers. Hamilton will keep this information in strict confidence and only use the system in the event of an emergency.

Students who have not yet provided the college with their cell phone numbers may do so by logging on to http://my.hamilton.edu/college/registrar/StudentProfile/ or by visiting the table set up in the Beinecke Student Activities Village on Thursday, Oct. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The new emergency communications system will supplement existing means (e-mail, Web announcements, flyers, etc.) for reaching students and employees in the event of an emergency. Should an actual emergency be declared, the college will relay critical information using the most effective means possible.