Emergency Notification Policy
Effective July 16, 2007
Truman State University, in order to maintain a safe campus environment, has implemented an emergency notification system. Students will be asked twice each year to update their contact information in our student information system. At that time they will be given an option to sign up for the emergency notification system. If they sign up to participate, they will be notified through text messaging of any serious emergency situation on campus.
The emergency notification system will only be used in life threatening situations. Frequent, non-emergency use of this system might compromise its effectiveness in a serious emergency situation. The emergency notification system will be used to provide instructions and information to all or an affected segment of the student population who have opted into the system before, during and after a situation where student health and safety may be compromised due to a natural disaster, criminal activity, and/or public health threat. The President of the University (or an appointed designee in cases when the President is unavailable) is the only person authorized to activate the emergency notification system. A recommendation for activation of the emergency notification system will come through the Director of Public Safety and/or the Dean of Student Affairs (or their designees when they are unavailable). The Director of Public Safety and/or the Dean of Student Affairs, upon consultation with appropriate campus and community emergency personnel, will recommend to the President that the emergency notification system be activated. In some emergency situations, however, there may not be time for extensive consultation. In these cases the Director of Public Safety and/or the Dean of Student Affairs and the President (or their designees) will make the most appropriate decision given the information available at the time.