A few weeks ago I recieved a call from the StagAlert emergency notification system conducting a test. I answered, but quickly hung up as soon as I heard the automated voice and knew it was from the University. I later found out what the call was and that it was just a drill. But if there were a real emergency would I have gotten the message?
With many students getting these calls, we have to wonder if these StagAlert calls are effective. A lot of the time when students get these calls they are unable to answer. For example, if a student is in class they can’t just answer their phone and wouldn’t get the message until after they listened to the voicemail. StagAlerts are also sent through text message but this doesn’t make them any more effective. When a student sees a StagAlert text they might just think it’s a drill and not read through the whole message.
I don’t think these StagAlert calls and texts are fully effective in reaching all students in the case of an emergency. We do have to remember that if there ever was a real emergency, students would hear about it from other students and take the necessary actions towards safety. Still, that doesn’t mean the StagAlerts are fully effective in reaching all students.
When asked, a few students said they didn’t even receive the StagAlerts. Lindsay Maida ’14 said, “I didn’t even get the StagAlert test call and text so I would say it’s ineffective.”
Then there are students who simply don’t answer. Several students said they wouldn’t answer a call with the University’s phone number on it in fear of getting in trouble. Allie Flannery ’14, more in favor of the text message method stated, “I think the texts are more effective than the phone calls because I wouldn’t answer a call with the University’s number on it.”
Students honestly just don’t want to be bothered and who can blame them? Who knows what kind of call is on the other end with the University’s number on it? There’s also an email that gets sent out, but not everyone gets email sent to their phone or checks their email constantly, especially if they are out and about. So I would say of all the ways to alert students, email would be the least effective.
There really seems to be too many faults and cracks in this system for it to be fully effective, but Jamie Salazer ’14 disagrees, “I think it’s effective. I mean how else would people know?”
The StagAlert emergency notification system in theory is definitely a good idea, but there are some kinks that need to be worked out for it to be fully effective. If that happens, there is a much better chance of StagAlert running smoothly.
It is inevitable that the StagAlert system will not work for all students but the best advice I can give to students for StagAlert to be more effective is when you get a call from the University, take it if you can, when you get a text read the whole thing, and try to check your e-mail more frequently. It’s not that StagAlert is completely ineffective, it’s just that there are certain situations where it may not be successful.
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