NEW UNIVERSITY EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION PLAN

Ohio State has a number of ways to communicate with faculty, staff, students and parents in the event of an urgent situation. These include a variety of notification vehicles such as WOSU AM, OSU Today e-mail, the Ohio State Web site, and local media outlets. New this year, the university has created a text message alert system for the public to stay informed of potential emergencies. Faculty, students, staff, and parents are encouraged to register their cell phone numbers with the OSU Department of Public Safety. To learn more and to register, go to www.buckeyealert.osu.edu.  

Welcome to the BUCKEYE ALERT SYSTEM

The Ohio State University is continually working to ensure that its students, faculty, staff, and visitors are in the safest environment possible.

The Ohio State University has created a text message alert system for the public to stay informed of potential emergencies.

Emergency personnel are continually planning for an emergency response. By signing up for the emergency notification system, you are becoming involved in the planning process. The text message emergency notification system will allow phone lines to remain open for first responders and 9-1-1 callers. The emergency personnel will know that the public is informed and can focus on the situation.

Text message warnings will allow you to learn of emergency situations as soon as possible no matter where you are located. All you need is to have your cell phone.

In order to make sure the system is working properly in the event of an emergency, the system will be tested once or twice a year. During a test, subscribers will receive a test message. Besides the testing, you will only receive messages in the event of an emergency. You will not receive advertising or non-emergency messages.

The Ohio State University will maintain your information with the utmost security. We will not sell your information and will only use it for emergency notification.

If an emergency situation should occur, text messages will be sent out with information of the situation and instructions to help protect you.

This system will only be activated in the event of a true emergency. It will be activated if a situation occurs or is imminent that has the potential of placing the safety and security of the entire campus community at risk. This will not be used as an early warning system for potentially severe weather or for notification of campus events. It will only be used when public safety and campus officials have determined that the campus community must take immediate action to remain safe and secure.

There is no cost to sign up for the text message service. Although there may be costs involved with receiving text messages depending on the service plan you have with your wireless provider. Please check your wireless plan to determine whether or not you will be charged for text message services. The Ohio State University is not responsible for any costs involved with your cellular service plan or cellular provider.

If you feel it is no longer necessary for you to receive alerts, you can request to be taken off the list by going to https://emnotify.service.ohio-state.edu and all of your information will be removed from the system.

BUCKEYE ALERT SYSTEM - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Buckeye Alert?

The Buckeye Alert system is one of many tools that The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety can use to notify the campus community of an ongoing emergency.

Buckeye Alert is just one tool that OSU Public Safety can use to notify the campus community of an ongoing emergency. Other forms of notification may include OSU email, OSU cable system, local media outlets such as WOSU and campus telephones are a few examples. One or all of these tools may be used depending on the situation.

How will OSU use the information I enter to register for the Buckeye Alert system?

Your information will be used only for emergency notifications. Up to 4 times a year, OSU may send out an email to the email address you supply to confirm that you wish to remain in the system. Your personal information will never be sold to a third party nor will it be used for anything other than the Buckeye Alert system.

What information will I need to provide to register for Buckeye Alert?

The following information is required for registration to the Buckeye Alert system:

• Name
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• Cell phone provider (i.e. Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc.)
• University status (i.e. Student, Faculty, Staff, Parent, etc.)

If your information ever changes, you will need to notify us of the change by emailing your old and new information to:
  emergencymanagement@dps.ohio-state.edu

Will I receive duplicate alert messages?

It is very possible that during an actual emergency, you will receive duplicate message for the OSU Public Safety. Depending on the severity of the threat to the safety & security of the campus community, OSU Public Safety may use 1 or more of the communications methods available. For this reason, it is very possible that you will receive the same information from more than 1 source. However, we encourage you to be cautious of any information that you receive from sources other than OSU Public Safety.

Will OSU be testing the Buckeye Alert system?

OSU Public Safety expects to test the system at least once or twice a year. We will make every effort to notify the campus community in advance of the test via email and the local media.
As with all text message alerts, each subscriber is responsible for any charges from their cellular provider associated with receiving text messages.

When will you deactivate my subscription to the Buckeye Alert System?

Your subscription will remain active indefinitely. You may choose to unsubscribe at any time via our website. Also, if any of our test messages are returned as undeliverable, we will attempt to notify you via email. If we are unable to make contact, your information may be deleted from the system.

What happens if I choose not to subscribe to the Buckeye Alerts?

You will not receive an emergency alert via text message.  You will continue to receive alerts via our other methods such as campus email, campus cable system and campus telephones.

You are not required to register for Buckeye Alert. However, we strongly suggest that you take a few minutes to sign up at http://www.buckeyealert.osu.edu

Will I be notified if my subscription to the Buckeye Alert system is deactivated?

We will make every effort to notify you if your subscription is deactivated. Your subscription will only be deactivated for 2 reasons:

1. You request to be unsubscribed by going to the Buckeye Alert website and completing the required information.
2. During one of our tests, the text message is returned as undeliverable. If this happens, we will attempt to contact you via email to request the correct information. If we are unable to contact you, we will automatically deactivate your subscription.

Is there a charge for subscribing to the Buckeye Alert system?

The Ohio State University will not charge the subscriber a fee. However, please check with your cellular provider to determine what, if any, charges they may charge you for receiving text messages.

When will OSU use the Buckeye Alert system information?

The Buckeye Alert notification system will only be used when an emergency situation is ongoing and the campus community should take immediate action to preserve their own personal safety & security. This system will only be activated if you need to take immediate action to remain safe & secure.

If you wish to be notified of other situations and events that generally do not require immediate action, you may want to sign up for Crime Alerts through the OSU Police Department. You can find additional information on this program at:  http://www.ps.ohio-state.edu/police/crime_alerts/

Who do I contact if I have a question?

You can contact OSU Emergency Management by email at emergencymanagement@dps.ohio-state.edu

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