SCU Campus Alert registration numbers fall short of expectations
By Johanna Mitchell
Despite a sharp increase in participation over the summer months, more than half of Santa Clara's 8,000-member community failed to register for SCU Campus Alert by the first day of fall classes.
The system, a variation of Connect-Ed by NTI group, stores student contact information and sends simultaneous mass alert messages to everyone registered in the form of text messages, e-mails and recorded voice messages in the event of an emergency on campus.
Registration commenced in February, but even the additional 1,770 newly registered and updated profiles still only brings the total number of students, faculty and staff who have chosen to participate to 3,700. Administrators plan to meet in coming weeks to work several kinks out, said Vice Provost for Student Life Jeanne Rosenberger.
Currently, the program is not compulsory, as students choose to sign up for the system. But Rosenberger said the process is under evaluation, and a committee will be exploring several alternative methods, including mandatory registration and automatic registration of all eCampus members with an option to deactivate. Rosenberger credits the recent surge in student participation to the diligent orientation leaders actively encouraging freshmen to register during their initial eCampus registration.
Freshman Zach Bonner signed up for SCU Campus Alert during orientation.
"At first I was a little skeptical because I don't want my cell phone number getting out there like that," said Bonner. "But then I read about what the system was all about, and it seemed pretty nice. In case something happens, I'd want the campus to tell me about it."
Messages are estimated to reach all participants within 30 minutes after a message is sent by administrators, though Rosenberger said during trial runs, messages were circulated as quickly as two minutes -- a far cry from the two-hour timespan between first reports of a gunman on Virginia Tech's campus in April and the first e-mail contact with students.
Still, Rosenberger said the system cannot be considered fully functional until more staff, faculty and students have registered.
"What's the point if not everyone's signed up?" said senior Pomai Hanson.
Hanson said there should be more publicity surrounding SCU Campus Alert, especially targeted at upperclassmen who may have forgotten about it since its inception last spring.
"I think we've done a really good job of notifying everyone that it's available and encouraging everyone to sign up, but you can't force someone to do it," said Rosenberger.
Contact Johanna Mitchell at (408) 554-4546 or jjmitchell@scu.edu.