January 17, 2008

Dear UCSB Community:

Because your safety and that of all members of our community is of utmost importance to our campus, I am pleased to announce a new addition to our emergency communications capabilities, the UCSB ALERT system. This system will enable us to deliver emergency messages in the shortest time possible.

This new system is vital to keeping our campus safe in an emergency or crisis situation, but we need your help to ensure its effectiveness. In order for the notification system to work, we must have accurate and up-to-date contact information from everyone we will need to notify in a major emergency. Please sign up for the text messaging service on the UCSB ALERT web site, http://alert.ucsb.edu/. All you need is your Staff ID or Perm Number, your cell phone number, cell phone carrier, and the e-mail address to which you would like the emergency alert directed.

The personal information gathered from this site will only be used for contacting you in case of an emergency and will be protected as described in the Privacy Statement at the bottom of the page at http://alert.ucsb.edu/.

UCSB ALERT delivers messages via email and Short Message Service (SMS) text-capable wireless devices, such as most cellular telephones. It is a personalized service designed to complement other tools we already use to advise the campus community during crises or emergencies. Examples include:

  • AM 1610 UCSB Information Radio Station
  • FM 91.9 KCSB Radio Station
  • 1-888-488-UCSB (8272) for a recorded message
  • www.ucsb.edu
  • emergency e-mail system and emergency voice mail system

Effective emergency response requires personal preparedness and planning. While no emergency communications system is guaranteed to be effective and reliable in every situation, UCSB ALERT’s prioritized text messaging system increases the chances for successful delivery. It is important that you sign up for UCSB ALERT as part of your personal emergency preparedness plans. Please accept my sincere thanks for doing so today.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor