Text messages might save Ball State University students' lives if there is an emergency.
Kay Bales, vice president of student affairs, said the university will send a mass e-mail to inform students about the security changes Friday.
The Crisis Management Team developed a system that will text message students and faculty during an emergency, Bales said. The service will be optional, she said.
University Computing Services created the system during the summer.
UCS Director Fred Nay said the university began working on the project after the Virginia Tech shootings in April.
"Say an event occurred, the system would systematically start sending out messages," he said. "It would get delivered via different cell [phone] providers."
Bales said the text messaging is part of a multi-layered project to improve communication between students and the university during emergencies.
"We have been reviewing our emergency procedures for some time," she said. "I think that we certainly did learn some lessons from the Virginia Tech situation and I think the most important piece that we addressed is how we were communicating with the campus population."
CMT also created an emergency code word system to alert systems to emergencies, Bales said.
The university will issue a Code Red if there is a high alert situation such as an armed suspect or dangerous weather, Bales said.
"If someone should hear a Code Red, they should take immediate action and pay immediate attention," she said.
The university will issue a Code Blue if a situation needs to be called to students' attention, but isn't an immediate threat, such as suspicious suspects who should be avoided, Bales said.
The university will place posters in classrooms to explain emergency procedures, Bales said.
The university also uses three-minute sirens from the top of LaFollette Complex, Cooper Physical Science Building and Scheumann stadium, Bales said. The sirens can also be voice-activated, she said.
CMT will continue using e-mail alerts and posts on the Ball State Web site to provide detailed instructions during emergencies, she said.
"If needed and the situation is appropriate, Public Safety can get on them to speak," she said.
CMT meets throughout the year to discuss possible emergency protocol improvements, Bales said.
"When situations happen on other campuses, we try and learn from those situations," she said. "We look at how we communicate with people and how to respond in a crisis. We want to make sure everyone on campus will be informed."
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