Recent events, including the well-documented tragedies at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, have given college administrators across the country pause as they consider how well their institutions are prepared to deal with a similar situation. At Le Moyne College, these events have led to a comprehensive review of how a natural or man-made emergency would impact the College and its many constituencies, and the plans in place and resources at our disposal to react.
The first goal of any emergency preparedness plan is to ensure the immediate safety of students, staff, faculty and anyone else who is on our campus. Once their initial well-being has been addressed, the College’s next focus is to quickly return the campus to normal operations. And throughout any situation, it is imperative that the College communicate to all its key constituencies in a way that is both accurate and timely.
Le Moyne has taken several steps recently to strengthen emergency preparedness on campus:
1. The College unveiled its Heights Alert emergency communication system, which sends cell phone text messages and e-mails to individuals who have enrolled in the system.
2. A full-scale emergency drill was held on campus to rehearse the roles outside law enforcement agencies would play in the event of an event on campus.
3. Landline phones were installed in all residence hall rooms to ensure a communications link to all students living on campus.
In addition, the College has conducted a thorough review of its overall emergency procedures to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, common emergency situations are planned for. This plan is constantly reviewed and, when necessary, adjusted as situations warrant.
Heights Alert Emergency Notification System
The Heights Alert system is designed to enhance and improve communication so that all members of the Le Moyne College campus community can stay informed in the event of an emergency.
Le Moyne College has contracted with e2Campus to provide this service, which will allow students, faculty and staff to "opt in" and be notified by a text message to their cell phone, in the event of an emergency or campus closure. The message can also be sent to a designated e-mail address or PDA.
The Heights Alert notification system will add another immediate mechanism to the existing methods that the College has in place to alert the community to an emergency situation. The system will be used only for emergency contact purposes. Heights Alert will not be used to distribute Le Moyne College advertising or other unsolicited content. Please note that subscribers to Heights Alert will pay no fees for the service, other than any regular fees associated with text messaging services. You are encouraged to check with your wireless carrier and ask about text message fees. Most wireless carriers offer reasonable text messaging add-on plans to their customers.