Sign Up TODAY for Harvard University's Emergency Communication Text Messaging, August 31, 2007, Harvard Public Health NOW

As part of its ongoing emergency communications procedures, Harvard University has the capability to send text message alerts to its students, faculty, and staff in the event of an extreme emergency. In an email message to HSPH, Dean Barry Bloom explained that the University hopes that it never has to use this system but, given the popularity of text messaging, is making this service available as part of its continually evolving set of technological solutions for communicating with the Harvard community in an emergency.

To sign up, Harvard ID holders will need to go to the message me website and provide their name and cell phone numbers at the beginning of each academic year. All of the information provided is private and will not be shared. Participants will not be contacted by text messaging unless there is an extreme emergency on campus that could affect the Harvard community's safety and require instant communication.

Text messaging joins other communications tools at HSPH including email, web pages, an emergency public address system, and the call-in emergency phone line (617) 432-NEWS that are meant to provide redundant means of communication in an emergency. Please contact Assistant Dean for Communications Robin Herman, rherman@hsph.harvard.edu, if you would like more details about emergency responses at Harvard or go to the emergency response web page.

Said Dean Bloom, "I encourage you to sign up for this text messaging service as I believe it will be effective in the unlikely event that we need to communicate quickly with our community. As always, our goal is to keep our community informed with accurate and up-to-date information."