Student’s no longer have to worry about being out of the loop when an emergency happens on their campus, especially in the light of the lockdown last semester at VC.
The Ventura County Community College Police Department has started an emergency notification program, which students may sign up for at no cost. District police Chief Richard DeLaO says that students who register for the notifications will be notified solely for emergencies.
“The system will only be used on an emergency basis,” DeLaO said. “There will be absolutely no spam or junk e-mail associated with this service.”
VC police Lieutenant Bob Escobedo believes that the system would have come in handy at the campus lockdown last fall, when a armed student came to the campus.
“Now we can notify the students.”
Escobedo says that the emergency notification program was established in part due to this incident, and also due to other events, particularly the campus shootings of recent times across the nation.
When a disaster happens, those signed up for notification will be notified on their cell phones through either a text message or an automated phone call. This system is somewhat like a reverse 911 system, but even more integrated for the 21st century, according to DeLaO.
“As soon as we know, we can send a message out within minutes.” DeLaO says that the Virginia Tech Massacre of 2007 prompted many colleges across the nation to adopt these notification programs.
Also, while other colleges may use their notification systems for non-emergencies, such as reminding students of campus football, the VCCCD notification program will only be used in an emergency according to DeLaO.
Students may register for the notifications through Webstar under the “Maintain Emergency Alert Information” option and enter their contact information. Students are guaranteed to receive a notification message if they registered for them because the system will “cycle” through calls and texting until you confirm that you received the message, according to DeLaO. MC Business Professor Stephanie Branca was one of the first to register for the notifications.
“They did a test, and I was notified,” said Branca. “I was texted.”
Branca recommends that both students and faculty should utilize this feature, in light of Ventura County’s propensity to experiencing natural disasters.
“Especially because of where we live, we are prone to fire and earthquakes.”
Branca has another reason why students should register.
“I know my students,” she said. “They don’t want to come to the campus if they don’t have to!”
DeLaO said that the district is planning to execute a drill of the system this March, throughout all three campuses. While registered students will be contacted through the program, DeLaO emphasized that it will only be a drill and students should not worry.
MC Art major Ashley Starkey, 20, has registered for the notifications and recommends that other students should do the same.
“I think it’s good, because if the school is closed or something happens, I would like to know ahead of time, rather than driving there and finding out the hard way,” Starkey said, speaking from experience. “There was one time when they had to close the school because of the fires, and I drove all the way down there before finding out.”
