[548] MTSU plans summer alert notification test Wednesday for campus community

MURFREESBORO — MTSU will briefly test its emergency alert system Wednesday, June 29, with a special message for the university’s 26,900-plus registered users via email, text and automated phone calls.

The test of MTSU’s Critical Notification System, conducted each semester by the University Police Department, is set for 1:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Students, faculty and staff will automatically receive a test email to ensure the emergency system is working properly. Those who’ve added phone numbers to their notification preferences will also receive a text message and/or recorded phone call.

The university's website, http://www.mtsu.edu, its MTSUNews.com news site, and all digital signage around the Murfreesboro campus will display the test message just as they do during a real emergency, along with the university’s primary social media channels.

The university's Twitter account, @MTSUNews, will tweet the test alert, and the alert also will post to the MTSU and university police Facebook pages.

MTSU evaluates its Critical Notification System each semester during and after each test to pinpoint and fix any potential problems. Previous tests continue to show a near-100 percent message success rate, and digital signage in campus buildings displayed the test alerts within 30 seconds of transmission.

MTSU’s Critical Notification System is one of several components the university uses to enhance safety and emergency preparedness, officials said.

The university also conducts routine monthly tests of its tornado sirens on campus and at the Miller Coliseum Complex. Those tests don’t involve other components of the Critical Notification System, however.

All current MTSU students, faculty and staff can update their Rave notification preferences by using their PipelineMT usernames and passwords at http://www.getrave.com/login/mtsu.

Non-MTSU users don't have access to the system. Users are automatically deleted from the system when they graduate or permanently leave campus.

You can learn more about MTSU's Critical Notification System at its FAQ page, http://www.mtsu.edu/alert4u/faqs.php. Information about the alert system is also always available on the university’s weather information page, http://www.mtsunews.com/weather.