| Text messaging to students at Virginia Tech | | | | product. The debate, however, was whether the |
| would have been a better way to notify students | | | | company should promote that product given the |
| of the horrors happening on campus. | | | | possibility that it might be interpreted that the |
| The horrors of what happened in Blacksburg, | | | | company was taking advantage of a terrible |
| Virginia on April 16 are now starting to come | | | | tragedy for monetary gain. Certainly, that is not |
| forward with chilling details. A great university is in | | | | the object of this article. |
| mourning and a very safe city is starting to | | | | After much debate, it was decided that if the |
| wonder if anywhere in the world is still safe. | | | | product the company offers was able to save a |
| As always seems to be the case in | | | | life, then the company welcomes any such |
| unprecedented situations, criticism is directed at | | | | profiteering criticism that might come the |
| public safety entities and the university's | | | | company's way. |
| administrative leaders in what each could have | | | | Certainly, based on the phone calls received at |
| done differently to help prevent or lessen this | | | | the office, and the reports on local radio news |
| terrible tragedy. | | | | information station KYW, this tragedy has started |
| Some of that criticism concerns the notification | | | | several forward-looking academic institutions to |
| process of the student population at Virginia Tech. | | | | analyze the way it sends timely messages to |
| According to The Associated Press, while the first | | | | students. According to Philadelphia news station |
| shooting was reported at 7:15 am, the first | | | | KYW's story, "Local Campuses Re-Evaluate |
| notification of students in Blacksburg was sent at | | | | Security Procedures," several regional universities |
| 9:26 am by email. The horrific second shooting in | | | | are looking at how they would respond to a |
| Norris Hall occurred at 9:45 am and email | | | | similar emergency. |
| notification was sent at 10:53 am. | | | | KYW's Paul Kurz said: "Temple might be able to |
| Several reports concerned the difficulty in | | | | learn something from the events at Virginia Tech, |
| notifying students and teachers who were | | | | including how to better communicate with |
| commuting to the campus during the morning | | | | students in times of emergency." Kurz went on |
| hours. Certainly, email was not going to help these | | | | to discuss the emergency response procedures in |
| folks as they drove into the disaster. | | | | place in nearby West Chester--home of West |
| Today, at work, our staff received a series of | | | | Chester University. |
| calls from public schools, private schools, | | | | The fact is that 84% of all Americans now have |
| community colleges, and universities who had | | | | their cell phone on 24 hours a day and that cell |
| been hastily assigned the task of finding a better | | | | phone is never more than a few feet from them. |
| solution for notification of students and parents | | | | So, no matter where the students or university |
| should an unthinkable similar disaster occur at | | | | staff might be, the emergency message would |
| another school. That solution is text | | | | reach them immediately. This is simply not the |
| messaging--the quickest and most prevalent | | | | case with email. |
| medium used by students today. | | | | Schools and universities need to keep a cell phone |
| The sales team at the company discussed the | | | | database, including carrier, of everybody |
| early morning calls that were received in each of | | | | associated with their institutions for emergency |
| the three branch offices of the company in | | | | situations and be prepared to send text message |
| Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis. Obviously, there | | | | blasts in emergency situations. It may be a life |
| was an interest in our text message alert | | | | saver. |