Ball State University took another step toward safety on campus Saturday. The text message alert system was tested and successfully expanded the university's ability to contact students in case of an emergency.
This is a big step forward from the system's test in October, when it took 17 minutes for 4,000 phones to receive messages. The system has been upgraded, allowing more texts to be sent out at one time.
This system is vital for keeping the campus aware of emergencies affecting Ball State. These texts and this test are a wonderful step toward improving communication, and the university needs to keep honing the system to make it better.
Without these alerts, students could think they were walking to class in a rainstorm when, in reality, a tornado is only several miles away. It also has the potential to keep people away from dangerous situations, such as a school shooting.
Between the last test and this one, only about 1,000 more people signed up for the service. Ball State needs to find ways to continue to improve the system, but also get more people involved. Whether through e-mails, advertisements or posters, the university community needs to be more aware of the availability of this service.
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