Campus is a place where everyone feels safe with nothing to worry about because you are stuck in your little life bubble. Well things are about to burst.
UT ALERT is a way of telling the massive amount of students the information they need to know about crime and safety.
From hearing about the recent bomb threat on the Humanities Building to getting information about shootings near the dorms, this new way of insuring the safety of students seems to be working.
This new system has been resourcefully introduced to this year's freshman during their orientation and can be signed up for at anytime. All you need is your Net ID and password and your mobile phone, PDA, and/or pager number; however you want to receive your messages. For those who do not have a mobile number, they can sign up for UT ALERT through e-mail.
Personally, I have signed up for the UT ALERT and am glad to receive information about safety issues on campus. I know through text messages that the campus can get to the students quick and easy without having to deal with clogging cell phone signals.
The people worried about annoying advertising that may come through these text messages have nothing to worry about. Advertising is strictly prohibited.
So, yes, I do believe UT ALERT text messages are good for the campus and the students. We as students get the information we need and know that we will continue to receive updates on crises.
Comments
Jessica commented, on February 11, 2008 at 3:22 p.m.:
"Campus is a place where everyone feels safe with nothing to worry about because you are stuck in your little life bubble. Well things are about to burst."
This statement probably would have been true last August, but not anymore. Rapes, armed robberies, shootings, fires, and bomb threats project a negative image of the school--I've had many family members ask me what's going on up here, and I just can't answer them. It's honestly making me reconsider UT for my post-undergraduate studies.
UT Alert is a great idea as long as the messages are backed up by adequate enforcement. I signed up for it as soon as I could and have been generally pleased with the speed with which they have sent messages. However, the enforcement necessary to address the issues brought forth by the messages has been lacking. UT Alert alone can't stop crime, but at least it has the possibility of preventing further altercations if used correctly.
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