Rollout First to Undergraduates of the College, Eastman School of Music
The University of Rochester will launch a new emergency alert communications system that uses e-mails, text messages, cell phones, and other devices to send simultaneous warnings during critical situations.
AlertUR will start as a pilot program for all undergraduates in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering and in the Eastman School of Music. The service will be phased in for other members of the University community on all campuses. In April, the first official test of the system for undergraduates will occur.
"Having another method for e-mails, phones, and other devices is an important addition to our emergency systems," said Ronald J. Paprocki, senior vice president for administration and finance. "We want to communicate critical warnings and instructions as fast as we can. This is one more way to accomplish that."
The University selected software designed by MIR3, a California-based company that provides intelligent notification system solutions. These emergency notification systems also are used at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, St. John's University in Queens, N.Y., and in other business, government, and educational settings.
At Rochester, all undergraduate e-mails are automatically registered for the service in advance. Individual students will log on to the subscription site for adding their personal phone, cellular, and text message contact information. The system will be tested each semester, and students will be reminded regularly to check phone numbers, e-mails, and other contact information by logging in at www.rochester.edu/alertur.
The notification service is free, but users may be subject to their wireless providers' service fees. More information about AlertUR is available at www.rochester.edu/emergency along with Frequently Asked Questions, information about emergency procedures, and campuswide resources in an emergency. The University encourages students to look into this new service and make their personal choices on the most effective ways to be reached in a campus emergency.
About MIR3 Intelligent Notification
MIR3 Intelligent Notification ™ (IN®), is a privately held company headquartered in San Diego, Calif., and provides automated notification system solutions for global and enterprise-wide communications and business continuity. These emergency response systems are built with products on a geo-dispersed, scalable telephony and application server platform that directs the global dissemination of time-urgent information to and from any communication device. MIR3's 4,500+ customer base includes 82 of the Fortune 100, more than 100 colleges and universities, and numerous local, state, and federal agencies.