[312] MTSU plans emergency alert test Wednesday for campus community

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — MTSU will briefly test its emergency alert system Wednesday, Feb. 22, with a special message for the university’s 25,300-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.

“We encourage our community members to be connected by the various means available for receiving the alerts,” said MTSU Police Lt. Broede Stucky, who serves as the department’s emergency operations and public information officer. “Doing so increases the likelihood they’ll receive important and timely information that could assist in their personal safety.”

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, along with the @MTSUAlert and @MTSUPolice accounts. The alert also will post to the MTSU and university police Facebook pages.

MTSU evaluates its Critical Notification System, provided by Rave Mobile Safety, 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. 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 campus safety and emergency preparedness, officials said.

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

You can learn more about MTSU's Critical Notification System at http://www.mtsu.edu/alert4u and 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.