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UA emergency warning system now includes text alerts

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The University of Arizona launched an emergency alert system Monday that will allow students, employees and family members to receive text messages if a crisis occurs on or near the campus.

Faculty, staff and students can register their cell phone numbers free online to receive messages if an emergency or drill occurs, said UA Police Department Cmdr. Brian Seastone.

They can also register an additional phone number for a parent, spouse or anyone else they want to have notified.

The system — called UA Alert — cost $26,000, Seastone said.

It's part of a broad effort to keep the campus community informed in the event of a crisis, said university spokesman Johnny Cruz.

The messages would be concise, could be frequently updated and refer the campus community to additional sources of information, such as Web sites or e-mails.

"There is no one-size-fits-all solution when is comes to emergency communications," UA Vice President of Student Affairs Melissa Vito said in a statement released by the university. "We need, and now have, a multilayered system that reaches the campus community in person, on their cell phones or mobile devices, via e-mail, online and in the news media."

Seastone, the university's manager of emergency preparedness, said the notification would go out if an armed subject was on campus or in the event of a fire or flood.

"Literally, the message can be drafted and out in a matter of minutes," Seastone said.

Recent incidents, both local and national, have thrust campus security into the spotlight.

In April, a gunman at Virginia Tech opened fire on students and faculty, killing 32 people.

Seastone said the system was not sparked directly by the April incident and that it has been in the works for about a year.

The UA's concern for security and communication in an emergency was refocused in October 2002 after a gunman shot and killed three professors in the UA's College of Nursing before turning the gun on himself.

But the university faced scrutiny again last month when freshman Mia Henderson was fatally stabbed in her on-campus dormitory.

Galareka Harrison, another freshman, was arrested in connection with the slaying.

Despite efforts to notify them, by e-mail and other means, many students didn't know that incident had taken place until several hours later.

But while those major events would have triggered a text message alert, other cases will have to be evaluated individually, Seastone said.

He could not say whether a late September incident in which a UA student fought off a man who grabbed her breast as she walked into the Sky View Apartments, 1050 E. Eighth St., would have warranted a text alert.

The decision would be made quickly by the Campus Emergency Response Team based on the immediate threat to student safety, Seastone said.

UA Alert is only one part of the university's effort toward campus security, Seastone said.

Officials are also discussing sirens that could be heard across campus or putting phones for emergency use in every classroom.