YSU looks at campus alert method

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University is looking into instituting a text messaging system that could be used to alert the campus community in the event of an emergency.

“We are doing some preliminary investigations into what systems are available,” said spokesman Ron Cole.

The goal would be to have a system that can send text messages to computers and cell phones of all employees and students, both on and off campus, he said.

That would mean people with cell phones would have to voluntarily provide the university with their telephone number to be part of the warning system, he said.

Consideration of a warning system is an offshoot of the Ohio Board of Regent’s Task Force on Campus Security, created in April after a student gunman at Virginia Tech killed more than 30 people.

Gov. Ted Strickland directed that a task force be put together to examine current campus safety plans and come up with recommendations to improve safety.

YSU has been participating in that task.

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