Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 2, 2007|Volume 36, Number 9

New Yale ALERT system to allow instant communications during emergencies

During an emergency, Yale officials will be able to contact members of the campus community within minutes using a new communication system being launched this week.

The new system can send voice, e-mail and text messages simultaneously to all students, staff and faculty, allowing Yale leaders to quickly broadcast pertinent information about the emergency and indicate the appropriate response.

“Immediate communication during an emergency is key to protecting the safety of the Yale community and preventing the spread of misinformation,” says Martha Highsmith, deputy secretary of the University. “This new system will allow us to keep students and staff informed, whether they are in their dorms or offices, sitting in front of their computers, on their way to class or off campus.”

Yale ALERT allows campus leaders to send voice messages to home, work and cell phones; text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices; written messages to e-mail accounts; and messages to TTY/TDD-receiving devices for the hearing impaired.

Members of the Yale community will be asked to provide an emergency phone number where they can be reached in the event of a crisis situation. The information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any other entity.

The Yale University Security Office will initially test the new system among the student population. E-mails with information regarding the test will be sent this month to all undergraduate, graduate and professional school students. Plans call for the roll out of the new service for faculty and staff to begin in the new year.

For more information, visit the website at www.yale.edu/secretary.

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