Â鶹´«Ã½ has a number of methods to provide warning and notification of emergency situations affecting the campus. Notifications are distributed using any combination of the following:
- WSU alert system
- E-mail notifications to relevant students, faculty, and staff
- Posting on the university’s campus-specific WSU Alert webpage
- University social media platforms
- Notices on bulletin boards in prominent campus locations
- Public address systems in or outside campus buildings, if applicable
- Individual outreach to impacted individuals
- Host campus communication or alert systems.
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Campus Indoor/Outdoor Warning System consists of public address units on the Vancouver campus that may sound in the event of an emergency that may threaten the safety of individuals moving about the campus. A tone warning will be followed by a voice announcement that advises individuals what to do should as an emergency situation develops.
The WSU Alert Notification system is another method for distributing a notification of an emergency warning, which connects directly to students, faculty, and staff using voice and text messaging by telephone and email to provide warning of an emergency, see BPPM 50.39. It will include basic directions on what steps people should take in response. Receiving emergency warnings on personal cell phones, land line phones, and email requires registration, which can be accomplished by accessing a MyWSU account. All WSU students, staff and faculty will be subscribed into the system and will have the option to opt-out of the notification process. They can update their information for the Emergency Notification System through their .
In addition to these primary notification methods, the Â鶹´«Ã½ Marketing and Communications Department also operates a campuswide alert email list server that allows email transmission of warnings and other messages to the campus population.
To address the recent disturbing trends of violence on campuses for K-12 and higher education and to mitigate threats, the Â鶹´«Ã½ community has developed a number of prevention and protection measures.
This includes the ability of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Police Department and/or the Facilities and Operations Department to lock a majority of Â鶹´«Ã½ exterior building doors from the outside through an automated system. Studies compiled by the FBI indicate the importance of active access control in buildings and the ability to lock down the campus entry doors and allow occupants to secure themselves inside. This function provides safety to the occupants of the building and allows for transit time for police to respond and address the incident.
The complete Â鶹´«Ã½ Emergency Notification System allows the university to disseminate official information via email text messages, telephone, loudspeakers, WSU VanCoug Alert page, social media and other means to notify the campus population of emergencies or threatening situations.
For example, should an active shooter situation occur, the Emergency Notification System would alert individuals, who could then assess their response based on the location and resources available and choose the best action to ensure their safety.
All WSU students, staff and faculty can subscribe and update their information (such as email, telephone numbers, etc.) for notifications through the Â鶹´«Ã½ Emergency Notification System by accessing their .