Southern Wesleyan U Taps SMS Texts for Emergency Warnings

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/25/13

The area of Central in South Carolina, where Southern Wesleyan University is located, has had several tornados during the current school year. Finding out about those in time to get to safety has driven sign-ups to more than half of the student, faculty, and staff population for the campus' opt-in SMS texting service.

The SWUAlert notification system, hosted by CallFire, is used only to alert people of situations that may require specific action. According to the university, the system has been used to alert subscribers to impending weather conditions such as a tornado watch or icy conditions, but it may also be used to notify the community about other critical information. The system isn't used to announce events or programs.

CallFire provides telephony services for group broadcast, information hotlines, and voice surveys. The SMS service used by Southern Wesleyan does text messaging, which could allow for auto-replies and short codes or long codes if a response were required.

"CallFire was great to work with," said Joseph Brockinton, vice president for student life. "The new system has helped us keep our costs down while providing us with the exact service we need to communicate quickly with our campus community. We are grateful for the company's cooperation and performance." Brockinton has sent three tornado alerts, all with 100 percent documented reception.

When the university first introduced the service, it advised students and staff via emails, a weekly e-news publication, and during weekly chapel services. Recipients who wanted to opt-in were then prompted to send a keyword text to a short code, with the option of unsubscribing at any time. Subscribers immediately received a "congratulations" feedback message confirming their subscription was successful.

As part of the service, CallFire now maintains a phone list of all opt-in participants for the university and troubleshoots cellphone issues as they arise for subscribers.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract representation of a supercomputer with glowing blue and green neon geometric shapes resembling interconnected data nodes on a dark background

    University of Florida Invests in Supercomputer Upgrade for AI, Research

    The University of Florida has announced plans to upgrade its HiPerGator supercomputer with new equipment from Nvidia. The $24 million investment will fuel the institution's leadership in AI and research, according to a news announcement.

  • group of college students looking at large screen of data visualizations

    Scalable Cloud Strategies: Values for Higher Education

    From a massive, 23-campus cloud-and-security transformation, to a small college's "lift and shift" entry into the public cloud, Unisys Higher Education Strategist Christopher Wessells knows how higher education leverages the cloud. Here, he examines some of the values scalable cloud strategies offer our institutions.

  • abstract pattern with interconnected blue nodes and lines forming neural network shapes, overlaid with semi-transparent bars and circular data points

    Data, AI Lead Educause Top 10 List for 2025

    Educause recently released its annual Top 10 list of the most important technology issues facing colleges and universities in the coming year, with a familiar trio leading the bunch: data, analytics, and AI. But the report presents these critical technologies through a new lens: restoring trust in higher education.

  • metallic padlock with a glowing keyhole, set on a dark gradient background with a faint digital grid and blue-green highlights

    Microsoft Announces Security Updates as Part of Secure Future Initiative

    Microsoft has announced a handful of new security tools and updates, which the company said adhere to its Secure Future Initiative, a set of three core tenets emphasizing "secure by design, secure by default and secure operations."