UNL Alert will keep campus, community updated in emergencies
Released on 05/22/2007, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Beginning May 22, members of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln community -- and anyone else with a computer -- will be able to download a desktop application that will provide concise, up-to-the-minute information in emergency situations.
UNL Police have collaborated with Information Services and University Communications to develop UNL Alert -- a custom computer application that informs users of an emergency with scrolling, on-screen graphics and audio. UNL students, faculty and staff, Lincoln residents, parents of students and others can download the tool at http://emergency.unl.edu.
"The university has been participating with other state agencies in annual training for disaster preparedness," said Owen Yardley, chief of UNL Police Services. "Communication or lack thereof always heads the list of problems encountered in emergency situations. That's why this program is so important. It is a tool to help facilitate early notification of disasters or to assist in preparedness."
"This is just one additional way for people to be contacted," said Michael Ruhrdanz, director of Information Services at UNL. "It will work on all PCs and Macs. The application sits in the tray of your computer's desktop and checks the emergency servers once every minute. When a message is activated by the police, UNL Alert comes to life."
Possible scenarios for use include severe weather, fires and other emergencies. The alert will only be used in extreme circumstances.
"This is for unexpected emergencies, those emergencies were can't predict or prepare for," said Brett Bieber, interactive media and web developer, and one of the architects of UNL Alert. "The most important thing this does is get immediate information from the police sent out to the campus community."
Once the alert message is viewed, the user can click it off and the tool will continue to run in the background. Updates will appear as they are issued.
CONTACT: Charlotte Evans, Captain-Support, University Police, (402) 472-4468