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University Policies

University Policies

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ROWAN UNIVERSITY POLICY 
 

Title: University Mass Notification Systems
Subject: University Communications 
Policy No: Adm: 2016: 02
Applies: University-Wide 
Issuing Authority: President 
Responsible Officers: Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management, Vice Chancellor of University Communication 
Adopted: 03/07/2016 
Last Revision: 06/01/2026 
Last Reviewed: 06/01/2026

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to define and limit when administrative and academic officials at Rowan  University may use Rowan Mass Notification System to send SMS text messages, voice over phone, and  email.

II. ACCOUNTABILITY

Under direction of the President, the Vice Chancellor of University Communication and the Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management, shall implement and ensure compliance with this policy. The Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management and the Vice Chancellor of University Communication shall be responsible for utilization of Rowan Mass Notification System. 

III. APPLICABILITY

This policy is applicable to all Rowan Mass Notification System communications utilizing the Rowan University network.

IV. DEFINITIONS

  1. SMS - Short Message Service. SMS is a message system designed for cellular phones. Unlike email, SMS messages, commonly referred to as text messages, are sent to phone numbers, not addresses. They are routed through a gateway, which connects directly to the carrier's network. SMS is also identified as SMPP - Short Message Peer to Peer Protocol.

V. REFERENCES

  1. Rowan Emergency Preparedness Information 

VI. POLICY

  1. Rowan University recognizes that emergent communication with students and employees is critical to the  success of the University, and that additional mediums of communication are needed to supplement  electronic mail in situations that require rapid notification and response. Based on the increasing reach of mobile phones, Rowan Mass Notification System is utilized by the Rowan University Police Department (RUPD), Office of Emergency Management and University Communication Office solely for use in emergent situations.

  2. Subscriptions

    1. Rowan Mass Notification System is a subscription in which all students and employees with mobile numbers in Banner are opted-in to ensure their receipt of emergent communications. All individuals are asked to update their mobile contact information via id.rowan.edu on a periodic basis pursuant to user password reset guidelines to ensure receipt of communications.

    2. Rowan Mass Notification System is the University's primary emergency alert notification system, maintaining a subscription process managed by the RUPD, Office of Emergency Management and University Communication. All faculty, staff, administrators and students are required to provide their cell numbers to be used by the RUPD for Immediate and Emergency Notifications. Students will not be allowed to opt out of Rowan Mass Notification System. Faculty will be allowed to opt out of Rowan Mass Notification System only with the approval of the Provost. Staff will be allowed to opt out only with the approval of the Vice President for Human Resources. 

  3. Acceptable Use Policy
    1. All communications to be sent via Rowan mass notification system will meet the following criteria:
      1.  SMS should not be used for information the user will need to reference later, such as receipts or confirmation codes, and any information sent by SMS should be readily actionable in a short timeframe.
      2. SMS is designed to supplement the communication methods currently used and should not be used as the sole source of messaging.
      3. All SMS messages will be targeted at the appropriate subset(s) of these populations for effectiveness, based on the content and applicability to the target audience(s).
      4. The RUPD uses several message systems to deliver information to the Rowan Community, i.e., Short Message System (SMS), email, voicemail, social media, or a Daily Announcer. Selection of the message delivery used is dependent on whether the incident is currently occurring and poses an imminent threat to the Rowan community, or an incident that has already occurred, but requires timely notification.

        1. Rowan Alerts (Immediate and Emergency Notification) are sent through the University's mass notification system, using SMS, email, Daily Announcer, or through other methods deemed appropriate. Rowan Alerts will only be used by the RUPD, the Office of Emergency Management and University Communication for a confirmed event that is currently occurring when there is an emergency or significant threat to campus safety. Examples include but are not limited to an unscheduled and immediate university closure, or evacuation of the campus. All Rowan Alerts will be prefaced with "ROWAN ALERT" to clearly identify the emergency message. Rowan Alert notifications will also include updates and/or follow-up messages.  

        2. Rowan Timely Warnings are sent through the University's mass notification system using the email feature, the Rowan Daily Mail or other methods deemed appropriate for events that have already occurred on or directly adjacent to campus property but still require notification to the Rowan community in a reasonable period of time. All Rowan Timely Warning messages sent will be prefaced with "ROWAN TIMELY WARNING" to distinguish them. Rowan Timely Warnings are required by applicable law to the campus community for a specific set of crimes that "represents a serious or continuing threat to the students and employees" of the university. The crimes that require a timely warning according to the Clery Act are murder/non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, forcible sex offenses (rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape), robbery, aggravat``ed assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, major arson incidents, or other Clery-reportable incidents if the crime represents a serious or continuing threat to the University. Cases of aggravated assault and sex offenses are considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the facts of the case and the information known by the RUPD. For example, if an alleged assault occurs between two students who have a disagreement, there may be no on-going threat to other Rowan University community members, and a Timely Warning would not be distributed. Cases involving sexual assault are often reported long after the incident occurred, in which case there is no ability to distribute a “timely” warning notice to the community. Thus, whether to issue a Rowan Timely Warning based on a reported sex offense will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on when and where the incident occurred, when it was reported, and the amount of information known by the RUPD. Additionally, any hate crimes involving bodily injury or any of the previously listed crimes that represent a continuing threat to the university community require a timely warning. Any other crimes that represent a serious or continuing threat to the community may also have a timely warning issued for them and they will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Typically, a Rowan Timely Warning is not issued for any incidents that are older than ten (10) days from the date of occurrence, as such a delay in reporting has not afforded the University an opportunity to respond in a timely manner. Rowan University is not required to provide a Timely Warning for non-Clery Act crimes, for crimes that are reported to have occurred off campus (outside of the Rowan Clery geography), or for crimes reported to a pastoral or professional counselor.

        3. Rowan Advisory messages are sent through the University's mass notification system, using the email feature, the Rowan Daily Mail, SMS, or through other methods deemed appropriate. All Rowan Advisory messages sent will be prefaced with "ROWAN ADVISORY" to distinguish them. This covers all other events that do not fall under the previous titles and criteria. Examples include but not limited to:

          • Power Outage, Traffic Advisory
          • Building closures, etc., Police activity in an area
          • Non-emergency closures, such as closures due to weather events

          4. Non-compliance and Complaints – Rowan Alert, Rowan Timely Warning, or Rowan Advisory: When a student or employee believes that Rowan Alert, Rowan Timely Warning, or Rowan Advisory, has not been used in accordance with this policy, he/she is encouraged to seek to resolve that concern informally by communicating their concern directly to the office that sent the communication, e.g.: RUPD, Office of Emergency Management or University Communication.

          1. In cases where an individual feels he/she would benefit from additional support or advocacy, or to initiate a formal complaint about non-compliance, he/she may contact the following offices:
            1. The Vice Chancellor of University Communication
            2. The Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management





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