Students, faculty, and staff sign up to receive text messaging, other alert messages

Since Monday, July 2, nearly 3,000 Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff have signed up to receive several new urgent notification options as part of the university's broader notification system now referred to as VT Alerts.

University community members may now visit the VT Alerts website and subscribe to receive important university messages using the following communications methods:

• Text messages (SMS) to mobile devices
• Instant messages (AOL, MSN, and Yahoo)
• Calls to non-Virginia Tech phone numbers
• E-mails to non-Virginia Tech addresses

Step-by-step instructions are posted to the website. Students and university employees will need their PID and password to access the system. Once logged in, up to three contact methods may be added to the individual's account, with the option of ranking those methods in order of preference.

These options augment communication tools long used by the university, including the university homepage and Virginia Tech News homepage, broadcast e-mail alerts, broadcast voice-mail messages, a recorded hotline (540-231-6668), the university switchboard, and a coordinated use of public media outlets. VT Alerts is a fully integrated and coordinated notification system maintained by Virginia Tech’s Office of University Relations.

In an effort to reach the mobile university population, Virginia Tech last fall began exploring options to expand and enhance its already robust campus communications program. Last month, Virginia Tech reached an agreement with 3n (National Notification Network) to expand the university's ability to send critical news and information to the university community during campus emergencies. The addition of the 3n product will give members of the Virginia Tech community more choices as to how they would like to receive important notifications or weather-closing information.

Following additional modifications and improvements to existing services over the summer, the expanded VT Alerts system will be fully operational by Monday, Aug. 20, the first day of fall classes.