Last week an editorial (“Emergency text message system needs to be utilized,” ODE, 5/7/09) questioned the campus notification methods utilized when a suspicious package was found in Lawrence Hall. I’d like to explain how the decision was made and when emergency text notification is appropriate.
When a suspicious package was discovered and reported, the Department of Public Safety immediately evacuated and secured the affected portion of Lawrence Hall and notification was made by e-mail to students, faculty and staff, as well as Web site postings on the University homepage and the Emergency Management site. Once the building was cleared by DPS and partner law enforcement agencies, the campus community received another advisory message by e-mail and the Web sites to indicate that the situation was resolved.
UO Alert! was not used because the situation failed to meet criteria outlined in the Crisis and Emergency Communication System Policy, which specifies that text alerts should be used for the most serious situations when an emergency, expected or unexpected, poses an imminent threat to the health and safety of students, faculty and staff. Last Tuesday’s incident was contained to a specific location and the threat was not deemed to be imminent by on-scene law enforcement professionals. I encourage members of the campus community to familiarize themselves with UO Alert!-use information which can be found at the UO Emergency Management Web site, em.uoregon.edu.
Campus safety is a priority at the University. Possessing the ability to communicate to the campus during threatening situations is critical; however, we do not wish to desensitize our community to the UO Alert! system by using it an inappropriate context. By following the University policy, the integrity of the system is maintained for those times in which it may truly be needed.