After a professor shot her colleagues on the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s campus Feb. 12, concerns have been raised over the effectiveness of emergency response plans — specifically the delayed campus alert system.
UAH students received a text message at around 4:30 p.m., said Cameron Mortazavi, a UAH freshman majoring in electrical engineering, even though the shooting had happened at around 3:55 p.m.
Jeffrey Warner, a current UAH student, said he was frustrated about the delay of the alert system to inform students of the shooting.
“I was mad because they left us in the dark about this whole thing that affects everyone on campus,” he said.
A UA official said the campus is prepared for any crisis.
“The University of Alabama has a comprehensive emergency plan in place to deal with any crisis that may occur on campus,” UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen said in an email.
UAPD officers are trained in emergency preparedness, and they are prepared for a situation requiring the aid of the Tuscaloosa Police Department and other local emergency response services if necessary, Andreen said.
While the main focus in any crisis situation will be to eliminate the threat of danger, the University has plans to notify the student body as well as faculty and staff at the earliest possible time, according to the Safer Living Guide. Through text messages, phone calls to all available numbers and email messages, the University has the capability of notifying all members of the UA community of an emergency.
The UA Alerts system can be activated at any time from locations on or off campus, Andreen said.
The University did not respond to a request to interview UAPD.
Michael Patrick, a sophomore majoring in political science, said he has had positive experiences with the weather-related notifications through the alert system, and he said he expects similar efficiency would occur during an emergency situation.
“I think it’s hard to say whether the system is ideal because UA hasn’t faced an emergency like the one seen at UAH while I’ve been here,” Patrick said. “Maybe one step to effectively handle something like a shooting would be to establish a campus-wide speaker system or alert system to allow announcements to be made in each building.”
Susanna Payton, a sophomore whose major is undecided, said she also has benefited from the weather alerts system, but she said she sees potential for improvement in making sure everyone on campus is aware of emergency situations.
“I think the system is good for events that happen that don’t have a fatal deadline,” Payton said. “If they have TVs in every building, it would be easy to make a podcast and have that booming through the residence halls.”
Awareness is a key factor in maintaining personal safety during emergency situations. Andreen said students should keep their contact information on myBama up to date to stay informed during such instances. More information on the emergency plans and personal safety can be found online at police.ua.edu.
INFO: – UA Alerts system can be activated at any time from locations on or off campus
– The alert system sends updates via text message, phone calls to all available numbers and e-mail messages
-Students can update their contact information for the alerts on myBama.
