“This process began in April 2023, when MSU Police and Public Safety made a formal request to implement this change,” MSU DPPS spokesperson Dana Whyte said. “Numerous campus stakeholders weighed in before proceeding. This process has included creating new policies, processing data, etc."

This move comes a few weeks after an armed robbery occurred outside of Snyder Hall on May 30. Those with an MSU email and phone number connected to their contact information received a series of alerts throughout the evening.

Whyte said this latest upgrade to the alert system isn’t related to any specific crime that has taken place on campus, but is a “collaborative approach to continuing to enhance the MSU Alert system on campus.”

“Through this update, this enhances the capabilities within our mass notification alert system by allowing students and employees to automatically receive alerts through additional modalities, such as their phones,” Whyte said.

Students and employees are encouraged to add or update their contact information through the Students Information System. From there, students can add or update their phone numbers.

The phone number entered in the “Cellular Number” field will receive SMS/text messages and the phone number selected as “Preferred” will receive phone calls.

With the department enabling this into its emergency alert system, it provides further upgrades to the system to ensure the campus is notified and alerted of a potential emergency or danger on campus or in the surrounding area.

Former students and employees will be removed from the MSU Alert system on July 31 and will be notified prior to their removal. In addition to affiliates and community members, they can still receive alerts by downloading the SafeMSU app or texting MSUALERT to 888777.

The email also states that it is possible for those with an enrolled phone number to receive both a phone call and text message alert in the event of an emergency.

In addition to this upgrade, the MSU DPPS will conduct a full test of the campus alert notification on Wednesday, July 31 at 10:15 a.m., including its most recent alert upgrades. More information will be made available closer to the date.