A test of the MU Alert emergency messaging system will be conducted Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Marshall community members who are subscribed to MU Alert are asked to be sure that they have received the message that morning. If a message has not been received by noon, a subscriber should review and update his or her contact information in the myMU/MU Alert Web interface. If this contact information was already correct, but a message was still not received, then an e-mail should be sent to mualert@marshall.edu with details on which contact method (text, e-mail, voice) did not work as expected.
The most recent test of the system occurred Jan. 31, 2019.
Members of the immediate Marshall community (students, faculty and staff) who would like to subscribe or update their information for this test are asked to visit www.marshall.edu/MyMU, log in, click on the MU Alert triangle and complete their subscription or update by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14.
The MU Alert system, which is operated by Marshall and delivered through the Blackboard Connect™ service, allows Marshall students, faculty and staff to provide several methods for the university to use when making emergency contacts. Most common are text messages, cell phone calls and e-mail.
MU Alert is used solely for the purpose of alerting the Marshall University community in an emergency. Emergency notifications are limited to those concerning urgent health and safety concerns for Marshall University students, faculty or staff; or disruption of normal university functions due to weather, crime or other concerns. Alerts are issued to increase awareness about a criminal incident to promote safety and aid in the prevention of similar crimes.
Marshall University officials determine if and when alerts related to criminal incidents are issued based on a number of factors, including when information becomes known. Alerts are sent when a serious crime occurs that demonstrates an ongoing threat to the campus community. The Marshall University Police Department reviews the known details of each reported criminal incident on a case-by-case basis with the safety of the campus community in mind.
The following criteria are considered before issuing an MUAlert regarding a criminal incident:
- Did a crime occur?
- Did the crime occur on campus property or on other Clery reportable property? (More information about Clery reporting geographical areas is available in the university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.)
- Is the crime a Clery reportable crime? (More information about Clery reporting is available in the university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.)
- Is there a serious or continuing threat to the campus community?
More information about the MU Alert system is available at www.marshall.edu/emergency/mualert.