Emergency Text Messaging / Upcoming System Test
Columbia University will conduct a semi-annual test of its emergency text message notification system on Thursday, October 5.
To test the system, we will send a test message mid-morning, via text. The test message will also be delivered via email to the entire Columbia community.
The test message will contain the text: “TEST: This is a test of the Columbia text notification system. No action is needed.”
You do not need to take any action to acknowledge receipt of the test message.
The semi-annual test is intended to enhance your familiarity with text message notifications while allowing Public Safety to assess and improve the system each semester.
Auto-Enrollment
All active students at Columbia who have added a mobile phone number to their contact information, including Barnard and Teachers College students enrolled in a Columbia class, and faculty/staff who have a CU-issued mobile device or other mobile phone number listed in their PAC account are auto-enrolled in the emergency text alert system. No further action is needed to enroll.
The University does not use the emergency text messaging system for anything other than serious emergencies and this semi-annual test. If you wish to opt out of emergency text messages, follow the instructions on the Public Safety website. Once opted out, you will not receive emergency text message notifications unless you manually register.
Register Non-Affiliate Family and Friends to Receive Emergency Alerts
Each of you may register additional mobile phone numbers besides your own for emergency text message notifications, at your discretion. Follow the instructions on the Public Safety website to add additional mobile phone numbers. Non-affiliate family who have already been registered to receive emergency text alerts remain enrolled and will continue to receive alerts without any further action.
If You Do Not Receive the Emergency Text Alert Message
If you do not receive the emergency text alert test message by noon on Thursday, October 5th, go to the text alert page of the Public Safety website and follow the instructions to register or verify your number. If you have any technical questions, contact [email protected].
Add the Notification System to Your Mobile Address Book
You may wish to add the “aggregator codes”— numbers the system uses to send notifications from — to your mobile address book. We recommend giving them a title you will recognize, such as “CU Public Safety Message” or “Emergency Message.” The codes in use are:
- 672-83
- 226-787
- 780-15
- 814-37
- 772-95
- 229-11
Text message notification is one of several mechanisms that the University can employ in the event that we must communicate urgent information. First, emergency texts to registered users are also delivered to the entire University community by email. Additionally, during a crisis or campus emergency, more detailed messages and updates can be posted at preparedness.columbia.edu as well as on the University and Medical Center home pages. Information may also be recorded on the University’s main telephone line, 212-854-1754.
If you have any questions about the emergency text message notification system, before or after the test on Thursday, October 5, please email [email protected].