Kristin Martin
Published: November 26, 2008
Pensacola Junior College could implement an emergency text-messaging system by the end of this semester, said Dr. James Martin, vice president of Student Services. That means when an emergency strikes on or around campus, students and faculty immediately will receive a text message notifying them of what’s happening and how to avoid potential danger.
“We would offer text messaging to you, as a student, and to any faculty member and staff member, free of charge. You just simply have to sign up for it,” Martin said.
Martin said his office and PJC’s Police Department would send text messages when severe weather or crimes occur on or close to campus.
“If we have an incident on campus, if we have inclement weather, like a hurricane or tornado, and we get notified, we would get the text messages out to people, both on campus and off campus,” Martin said, adding that no one should go near campus if a dangerous condition exists.
The text messages also will be used to remind students of important dates, such as the deadline to pay tuition and fees.
“It can be used for several different things, not just bad news,” said PJC Police Sgt. Peggy Smith.
However, Martin said the college will send out text messages only if the information is vital — publicizing a club’s bake sale, for instance, or similar items will not be part of the text-messaging program.
“I want people to understand when a text message comes from the college, it’s really, really, really important information,” he said.
“Every day we don’t have a comprehensive communication system is a day that I feel uneasy,” he said. “I want to make certain that we have exhausted our ways of communicating with all of our students – not only here on the Pensacola campus, but at Warrington and Milton as well.”
When the text-messaging system is available, a message will be sent to students’ Pirate Mail accounts to let them know how to sign up for the alerts. Also, test messages will be sent out to ensure the system is working correctly, Martin said.
Currently, officials are deciding which company — Genesys or Media General — will be awarded a contract for the system. Several weeks ago, Media General offered the college a free text-messaging alert system, but Martin said he and PJC President Ed Meadows turned down the offer because the contract would have required that advertisements be sent within the alerts. Martin said PJC would rather pay for the system than be required to have ads accompany emergency text messages.
“We didn’t want to say, ‘We have an incident over in Building 6. By the way, this message is brought to you by CiCi’s Pizza,'” Martin said. “I want the message to be clear and concise.”
The cost of the system depends on how many people sign up for it, Martin said. For instance, if 1,100 people signed up, it would cost the college $150 to send a message to each person.
“That’s very reasonable. If the college can help people be aware of what’s going on around them in this community, it’s well worth $150,” Martin said. “The college wants to absorb that cost.”
The only downsides to a text-messaging system are that people might not have text-messaging capabilities on their cell phones or messages might not be received when phones are turned off in class, Martin said.
Right now, if an emergency happens on campus, a designated building monitor would call others in that particular building to let each person know what’s happening and what to do. It is the building monitor’s job to make sure everyone is safe. For instance, during a fire, that person would remain in the building until he or she was sure everyone else was out safely.
Pirate Mail is also one of PJC’s main forms of communication. Each student is assigned an e-mail account and receives notifications about withdrawal dates, registration information and hurricanes. Yet although Pirate Mail is good for notifying people about most things, it’s not sufficient for quick alerts, Martin said.
“I wouldn’t be pursuing text messaging if I thought the current system was adequate,” Martin said.
Smith said the text-messaging system is important to the safety of PJC because the present form of emergency communication isn’t fast enough.
“That’s a slow process if you think of how long it takes to dial a phone number or send an e-mail out,” she said.
However, Martin said officials will continue to use current communication methods and will use text messaging as an additional way to convey information.
Christine Wachob, 19, of Pensacola, is a pre-pharmacy student, and finds comfort in knowing that PJC soon will have text-message alerts available.
“It makes me feel a little safer that I could get it on my phone, instead of just an e-mail,” she said.
Implementing a mass text-messaging system at PJC has been discussed for about a year. Many schools implemented such systems after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech in which 32 people were killed and many others wounded.
An incident several weeks ago when former PJC student Alton Prewitt was arrested after a gun was found in his car and he fled across campus also is a reminder how important it is for the school to have a strong communication system to keep students safe, Martin said.
