Published: Sept. 29, 2016
A woman receives a text message on her phone

The campus will conduct a test the听听on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at noon听to raise awareness of how the campus community will be notified in case of a campus emergency. The test will include text messages, emails, social media, desktop alerts and website announcements. Annual testing of emergency notification systems is required by the Clery Act, a federal law.

鈥淭he CU听Boulder Alerts system is our most effective means of communicating key safety messages to the campus community,鈥 said Stuart Pike, CU听Boulder emergency management director. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for students, faculty and staff to be aware of this critical messaging platform.鈥

Active CU听Boulder student email addresses (@colorado.edu) are automatically registered and the university encourages students to add mobile phone numbers in order to receive text notifications as well. Faculty, staff听or affiliates of the CU听Boulder community with an @colorado.edu (or cufund.org, or cu.edu) e-mail address are encouraged to register on a voluntary basis.

If an emergency involves a threat to personal safety or a campus closure, a campus alert will be sent using one or all of the communication methods available. Text messaging is the backbone of the system as it reaches the most individuals in the least amount of time.

During an emergency that affects the campus, critical updates, additional details, and any necessary instructions regarding the nature of the emergency will be posted at听, university social media sites, and on the campus Emergency Information Line at 303-492-4636 (303-492-INFO).

Details on the decision process for determining a closure, how administrative leave should be handled for essential personnel and other employees, and answers to questions that frequently arise are covered in 鈥淐ampus Closing Procedures During Emergencies鈥 located at听.

If you have questions regarding emergency management at CU-Boulder please visit the听听website or email the team at听emergency.management@colorado.edu.

Any user who expected to receive an alert and didn鈥檛, or who needs help signing up for the system, should call the IT Service Center at 303-735-HELP or email听help@colorado.edu.