RazALERT System Informs Campus Community of Emergency Situations; Update Your Account Now

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A single, integrated system now provides University of Arkansas students, faculty and staff with all the emergency information they need, both immediate and long-term.

The emergency notification system is called RazALERT (pronounced “raise-alert”). It allows authorized administrators or University Police to send immediate emergency messages to all students, faculty and staff by e-mail, cell phone, text message, home phone and TTY/TTD teletype phones.

“The safety of those who are part of the university community is a top institutional priority,” said Tysen Kendig, associate vice chancellor for university relations. “Up-to-date communication reduces the spread of misinformation, maintains order and provides clear direction. RazALERT is simply the best, fastest and most authoritative source for accurate information during any kind of emergency situation at the University of Arkansas.”

Students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in the emergency notification system through their accounts in ISIS (Integrated Student Information System) or BASIS (Business and Administrative Strategic Information Systems). They can update or change their contact information at any time through those accounts. In addition, everyone in the system can have as many as six phone numbers and two e-mail addresses in their account, if, for example, they want their parents to receive the same emergency messages. The office of university relations recommends that students, faculty and staff update their notification preferences at the beginning of each semester or whenever they change their phone numbers or e-mail addresses.

RazALERT was designed for the university and installed in 2008 as part of the Connect-ED communication service from Blackboard Connect Inc.

The system got its first true test during the January 2009 ice storm, when RazALERT was used three days in a row to notify the campus that classes were cancelled and many offices were closed due to the inclement weather and to issue other advisories about conditions on campus.

“RazALERT worked exactly as it was supposed to during the ice storm despite extreme conditions that crippled most communications in the region,” said Kendig. “The messages were sent to everyone in the system at least 30 minutes before they were broadcast on local news media.”

 RazALERT has a 24-hour dimension, as well: a Web site with a full range of useful emergency information. The site, found at http://emergency.uark.edu, includes complete information about the RazALERT system, contact information for all the emergency services on campus and in the immediate area, a review of the university’s emergency procedures and useful tips on “what to do” in a wide assortment of emergency situations.

“The university’s emergency Web site contains virtually all of the information people should know in the event of an emergency, and it’s presented in a very accessible way that can be updated as often as events warrant,” said Kendig. “No one wants bad weather or any other type of emergency, but between the RazALERT notification system and the Web site, the university is as prepared as possible to provide the necessary information to everyone in the campus community via the myriad of communication devices used by our students, faculty and staff.”