Miami University

News Release

News and Public Information Office
Glos Center
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-7592
(513) 529-1950 fax
newsinfo@muohio.edu

Emergency communications to be tested Sept. 19

09/13/2012

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Miami University plans to test its emergency communication methods at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. These methods include:

the Miami emergency text messaging system (via e2Campus), with e-mail option,
an all-Miami email,
the voice- and display-based emergency notification feature of the VoIP telephones,
the video message boards in the Farmer School of Business, Hoyt Hall, the BEST Library, residence and dining halls, the rec center, on the regional campuses, the Voice of America Learning Center, as well as TV Ch. 42, the on-campus cable channel guide, and
banners on selected Miami University websites, including myMiami, the university home page and the university police website.

If, by chance, there is a weather - or emergency-related message that needs to go out that day, the test will be run one week later, at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Here is what to expect:

1. The text and email tests will say "Test" in the subject line. The message will ask you to note the time you saw the message. If you signed up another person's cell phone number please notify that person of this planned test of the system.

2. All staff, students and faculty on all Ohio campuses should receive an emergency test email from Miami U (e2campus@omnilert.net).

3. The telephones in offices, classrooms and residence hall public areas should give a loud verbal message that starts with “This is a test.” The voice feature will run once or twice and be done, so if you’re not near a phone, you won’t hear it. The display message will remain until it is deleted, or in this test case, the phones are reset. You can delete the message from your display by using the phone’s "exit" button.

4. Video boards will show a test emergency message for up to 10 minutes.

You must sign up in order to receive the text message alert. All the other messages will be delivered automatically. If you haven't yet signed up for text alerts, you can do so by going to miamioh.edu/police and clicking on the red Emergency Text Messaging System box on the right, or by going directly to miamioh.edu/ens. Both your Miami uniqueID and MUNet password are required for registration.

Some university members will receive a randomly sent survey. Please give the time when you received/read the messages, not when your carrier or email shows the message arrived.

We ask that you respond to the survey within two days, for instance, by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, for the intended test date of Sept. 19.

More information on Miami’s emergency preparedness as well as information on what you can do in a variety of emergencies is online at www.muohio.edu/emergency. Other campus safety and security information is at muohio.edu/campus-safety.