Written by Olivia Studdard, Staff Writer

Before last week, many students had forgotten about the alert system they signed up for at the start of the new semester.

Upon opening Banner, students are prompted to enter a contact number for what is called a campus alert system. During an emergency, the campus uses the number to mass contact students about what they need to know.

By entering a phone number into the system, students can receive a phone call, voicemail, and text message with an alert containing the news from campus officials.

These alerts are used to convey everything from animals loose on campus to inclement weather conditions such as the hurricane that came through town last week.

The system of alerts has shown much improvement over the last few years, but is still not perfect, and some students still aren’t receiving any notifications.

“I never got a single alert last semester, even though I double checked to make sure I was signed up,” said Bridget Grizzle, junior special education major. “I’m getting them this semester, but sometimes I worry if I’ll miss one that I need to see.”

While these alerts are far from a foolproof system, they provide many students with the important information they need.

“Last week when all the crazy was going on with Hurricane Hermine, it helped me know when classes were cancelled,” Grizzle said. “There was so much talk about not having school, then we were, then I got the alert and was able to make solid plans before the storm hit.”

While most students see these alerts as a great communication method, not all feel that they are extremely necessary.

“Honestly it’s a little much,” said Brady Ratzlaff, sophomore business management major. “They call, they email, and they text. All at once and I’m like, ‘Okay. I get the point.’”