Changes are coming to Rave, Kent State University’s Emergency Communication System, which is used to send Flash ALERTS as text messages when important information needs to be distributed in a timely fashion, such as during a safety crisis or weather emergency.
Previously, students, faculty and staff were able to opt in to Rave/Flash ALERTS to receive urgent notifications from all campuses via text messaging.
Beginning Oct. 5, any university community member who has provided Kent State with a domestic cellphone number will automatically be added to the university’s Rave Flash ALERTS system. Also beginning Oct. 5, users can choose which campus or campuses they would like to receive notifications about via text messaging.
“Kent State and Rave are partnering to make this change to meet the requests of those who only wish to receive text messages about campuses that directly affect them,” said Mark Polatajko, Ph.D., Kent State’s senior vice president for finance and administration.
To update your preferences on or after Oct. 5, log in to Flash ALERTS and make your selections. Users also can update the phone numbers of additional people – typically family members – who would also like to receive Flash ALERTS.
Because information delivered via Flash ALERTS can be critical for your safety, it is important that you log in as soon as possible and update your preferences.
If no action is taken, you will continue to receive Flash ALERTS for all campuses. Whether you are a new or existing user, please note that you will need to re-register any additional phone numbers for others you would like added to your profile beginning Oct. 5; additional contacts registered before the Oct. 5 update to Rave will not automatically receive these text messages.
Visit the Flash ALERTS homepage for more information.
Image source: Jan Vašek from Pixabay