Emergency Response Test Uncovers Glitches
By RACHAEL McDANIEL
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- It was a quiet Sunday afternoon on the campus of JMU when piercing sirens broke the mountain air. But it was not a fire, an accident or any other kind of emergency. Instead, it was part of a test of the university's new emergency response system set up in the aftermath of the massacre last April at Virginia Tech.
Since then, universities nationwide have been concerned about the possibility of violence on their campuses, and the anxiety has been particularly acute at Virginia schools.
The Sept. 16 test was a practice run to see if the system was properly working, show students how it works and demonstrate the importance of participating, according to Don Egle, a JMU spokesman.
After the test, JMU administrator Donna Harper conducted a survey of a portion of the student body and faculty, which asked them about its effectiveness. Approximately, 60 percent of the respondents were students.
According to both Egle and Harper, the test and survey showed that the system still has some kinks.
Egle said that some students could not hear or understand instructions on the loudspeaker from within or outside the building. Harper said that many other students reported that they did not receive text or voice messages. She speculated that students thought they had signed up for the system but never clicked save. In other cases, students did not complete another step in the process, sending the message “Y JMU” back to the appropriate office, she said. She added that instructions will be revised to correct problems.
She pointed out that the system will not be effective if students do not take advantage of it. By the end of October, more than a month after the test, only about 7, 885 of more than 16,000 JMU students had enrolled in the emergency response system, according to Dale Hulvey, assistant vice president of the information and technology department.
Harper said that many students did not register because they forgot or were worried about releasing their phone numbers. Harper suggested that JMU needs to come up with a way to assure students the system is safe and that their information will go nowhere else.
According to Harper and Egle, JMU's Emergency Response and Recovery Team, which updated the system over the summer, is working to add new elements to the system. The additions may include taking over television screens within the buildings, adding a scrolling component to computer screens and implementing a reverse 9-1-1 system, according to Harper.
In the case of a real emergency, JMU security would be the first to respond, followed by Harrisonburg police, if the situation warranted it, Egle said. After that, city police would contact any other officials needed. According to Egle, students’ responsibilities would be to call the JMU police.
Many students welcome the system, despite its glitches.
Becky Lloyd, a freshman nursing major, was inside her dorm room when the siren went off. She said, “I think the new safety procedures are a great idea. They are very quick and efficient at letting students know what they need to know.”
She said she that after signing up for the cell phone system, she received all of the test messages. “I heard the siren, but could not understand the voice message at all,” she said, suggesting that the voice on the loudspeaker be fixed to become more understandable.
Amanda Ressin, a sophomore psychology major, thought that overall the system was effective. “Everyone on campus has a cell phone so it gets the info to them a lot faster,” she said.
She had not signed up for the cell phone system simply because she procrastinated. She recommended they set up sirens that can be heard inside of the buildings.
Hushmath Alam, a senior communications major, said she signed up for the cell phone system and received all of the test messages. “You don’t always get a chance to check your email,” she said, so the cell phones are a good idea.