On Our Mind: Emergency message system

Cartoon by Taryn Trousdale

Emporia State recently announced that it would be offering an emergency text message system to students who sign up for the service.

After signing up, students will receive a text message from the system when an emergency occurs on campus.

The implementation of the system is an effort on ESU’s part to make the campus more secure against incidences of campus violence such as those which occurred at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois, Louisiana Technical College, and many others in the last few years.

However, this effort to make the campus safer comes at a price. That price is $20,000 for a two-year contract with the company that will manage the system.

While the price seems to be much higher than one would expect the service to cost, we believe it is a necessary expense to make the campus a safer place.

We believe that all students on campus who have phones with text messaging service should take advantage of this service for two reasons.

The first, and most important, reason is that the service will inform students of an on-campus emergency such as a disaster or an incidence of violence. If students at Virginia Tech had had access to this technology, it is likely that fewer deaths and serious injuries would have occurred. If students on that campus had been informed of the shooting in that incident, they could have evacuated from the campus or stayed away completely.

The second reason for taking advantage of the new system is a fiscal reason.

It is obvious that a large portion, if not all, of the cost will be paid with money collected from students through tuition or fees.

The question, then, is why wouldn’t a student take advantage of a service they’ve already paid for.

One concern about the system is the question of whether student phone numbers will remain private. The answer is yes. The contract for the service stipulates that student information may not be sold or rented to third parties. So, any privacy concerns can be put to rest.

We believe this is a priceless service to have on campus and all students should take advantage of it for their own safety.