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Earlham Launches Emergency Alert System For Immediate Release: RICHMOND, Ind. — Colleges and universities across the country have been working on strengthening their emergency alert processes since the April 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech, and Earlham College is no exception. 
Students will see the new Earlham Urgency Network logo on materials across the campus as the Spring Semester begins. The Earlham Urgency Network makes its debut just prior to the beginning of the College's Spring Semester. "We've worked throughout the Fall Semester to make sure that we can connect with as many Earlham students, staff and faculty members as possible in the event of a crisis or emergency," says Provost Nelson Bingham, convener of the College's Emergency Readiness and Recovery Planning Committee (ERRP). In addition to developing an incident command structure based on the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which will allow the College to better communicate with outside responders, the nearly 20 faculty members on the ERRP Committee also have investigated how best to communicate with members of the Earlham community in times of crisis. "One of the lessons that we've learned from Virginia Tech is that we need to use more than one mode of communication to reach students, faculty and staff members, and community members who frequently use our campus facilities," says Cathy Anthofer, director of campus safety and security and a member of the ERRP group. "The Earlham Urgency Network will use the Connect-ED service to reach this large group using voice messages, text messages and e-mail." To maximize the impact of this notification system, Bingham says, students are being asked to provide the College with some key contact information. "During Enrollment Confirmation, we're asking students to update their information — including providing a non-Earlham e-mail address and a cell phone number — which Earlham will use to alert students in the case of an emergency situation on campus." Two opportunities to update contact information are being offered in conjunction with the Enrollment Confirmation process for Spring Semester. Students may stop by Lilly Library on Monday, Jan. 7, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit the Bolling Center Computer Lab on Tuesday, Jan. 8, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The College plans to conduct several tests of the Earlham Urgency Network after it has collected this contact information. Anthofer says that while it was the loss of life at Virginia Tech that sparked significant interest in emergency notifications at colleges and universities, she believes that the most likely emergencies on the Earlham campus remain weather-related. Students are being reminded to participate in the Earlham Urgency Network with brightly colored posters, postcards and table tents in the Dining Hall, Runyan Center and libraries. — EC — Contact:
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Earlham
College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |