Emergency preparedness

In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, universities and colleges across the country must now reevaluate their campus safety measures. Widespread campus notification in the case of an emergency is a crucial element to consider, especially given the failure of email notification at Virginia Tech to inform students of the initial shooting. Safety measures need to distinguish between threats requiring the campus community's awareness and those that require its immediate action. The University's recent decision to implement a text message alert system is an important first step that would be well complemented by a campus intercom system.

Cellular phones have emerged as the best way to reach many Princeton students; utilizing this technology to send text message alerts informing students of an emergency and providing emergency instructions is therefore a sound strategy.

Text messages alone, however, are not enough to achieve effective emergency notification. Many students do not have cell phones, and many more do not regularly check them for text messages during the day. Likewise, campus visitors would not be alerted. Weak signals and poor service from certain cell phone providers could further impeded notification. Finally, in the extraordinary, albeit unlikely, case of major emergencies such as terrorist attacks, cell phone networks are often shut down for extended periods of time.

A campus intercom system for public announcements, a measure used by universities like UNC-Charlotte, is an additional safety measure that would supplement the text message alert system. Speakers positioned in strategic locations around campus would allow a message to be broadcast during an emergency, literally amplifying the effect of a University alert. Speakers can be made to inconspicuously blend in with the architecture of University buildings.

It is certainly advisable that both of these measures be employed only in the case of a life-threatening situation, so their use can elicit the proper response from the University community.

While it is perhaps unlikely that a major emergency would occur on the Princeton campus, the example of the Virginia Tech massacre has shown that the University should emphasize preparedness. Text message warnings should be implemented as soon as possible, and an intercom system would be a relatively inexpensive and unobtrusive way to take another step toward ensuring a safe and well-prepared campus.