The ISU Alert system quickly alerts students, faculty and staff to potentially dangerous situations by phone, email or text message. If you haven't logged into AccessPlus to enter a phone number and email address in ISU Alert, your ISU phone number and email address will be added to those blanks as of Tuesday, July 21.
History of ISU Alerts
Twenty-nine ISU Alerts have been sent to the university community since the emergency message service began in late 2007. Here's the nature of those alerts:
- 11 routine tests
- 3 warnings about a suspect in an off-campus double homicide
- 2 severe weather advisories
- 2 messages about floods
- 3 missing persons reports
- 3 reports of suspects purportedly displaying guns on campus
- 1 bomb threat
- 1 police chase which ended on campus
- 3 all-clear messages
"Until recently, we've left it up to employees to sign on to AccessPlus and designate emergency phone numbers and email addresses for ISU Alert," said Andrea Little of university human resources. "Some just don't get around to it. We don't want people to miss receiving critical information in an emergency just because they haven't updated their ISU Alert profiles."
That's why blank spots in two of the three ISU Alert notification methods -- voice and email -- will be automatically filled with employees' ISU phone numbers and email addresses. If employees already have designated voice or email options, those choices will be left as is. The third option -- text messages -- also will be left alone, whether there's a designation or not.
Do it yourself
"Employees can sign onto the ISU Alert profiles through AccessPlus anytime to change any of their alert options -- voice, phone or text messages," Little said. "We encourage all employees to review and update their ISU Alert notification options periodically to best ensure they are quickly alerted."
