Communication technology, emergency alerts, and campus safety

In the wake of a report on the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy that criticized officials for being too slow to alert the campus community, universities across North America are now implementing mass notification systems, often using text messaging as a primary alerting channel for students, staff, and faculty. An effective campus alerting system, like other public warning systems, involves a complex socio-technical assemblage that combines mass notification capabilities with extensive administrative, legal, training, and communications considerations.