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, Vice President of University Relations 
Adopted: 03/07/2016 
Last Revision: 08/01/2023 
Last Reviewed: 08/01/2023

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to set forth the circumstances under which administrative officials at Rowan University may use Rowan Mass Notification System to send SMS text messages, voice over phone, and email notifications.

II. ACCOUNTABILITY

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

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 to 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, the Rowan Mass Notification System is utilized by the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Office of Emergency Management and University Relations for use in emergent situations and/or time-sensitive communications.
  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 and/or time-sensitive 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 Department of Public Safety (DPS), Office of Emergency Management and University Relations. All faculty, staff, administrators, and students are required to provide their cell numbers to be used by the DPS for immediate and emergency notifications (Rowan Alerts). 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 Chief Human Resources Officer.
  3. Acceptable Use Policy
    1. All communications sent via Rowan Mass Notification System will meet the following criteria:
      1. Short Message System (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 to the appropriate subset(s) of these populations for effectiveness, based on the content and applicability to the target audience(s).
      4. The Department of Public Safety uses several message systems to deliver information to the Rowan Community, i.e., SMS, email, voicemail, social media, or a Rowan 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, Rowan Announcer, and/or through other methods deemed appropriate. Rowan Alerts will only be used for an event that is currently occurring when there is an emergency or significant threat to campus safety in accord with Department of Public Safety procedures. 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, SMS, the Rowan Announcer and/or through 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 in accord with Department of Public Safety procedures. 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 represent a serious or continuing threat to the students and employees of the university.
        3. Rowan Advisory messages are sent through the University's Mass Notification System, using the email feature, and/or SMS. All Rowan Advisory messages sent will be prefaced with "ROWAN ADVISORY" to distinguish them. Rowan Advisory messages are used to communicate important information in non-emergency situations and/or which do not require a Rowan Alert or Rowan Timely Warning under applicable law. Examples include but not limited to:
          1. Power outage, pattern of thefts, weather closure, assailant in custody.
          2. Pattern of minor arson, drink spiking, remote operations, police activity in an area, assisting law enforcement, and phone outage.
  4. Complaints/Additional support – 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, they are encouraged to initiate a formal complaint or seek to resolve that concern informally by communicating their concern directly to the office which has sent the communication, e.g.: Department of Public Safety, Office of Emergency Management or University Relations.