On Friday, May 9, starting at 5 p.m., a test of the Temple University emergency notification system, TU-Alert, will be conducted.

This is the second test of the emergency communications system which sends an e-mail, a text message and a phone message to members of the Temple community. The first test was conducted in February.

“We deliberately picked a point in the day when there would be no finals so we would not disturb students and faculty at a critical time of the school year,” said Timothy O'Rourke, vice president of Computer and Information Services.

O’Rourke said periodic tests of the system will take place each year as systems improve and as more students and employees sign up to receive alerts.

Like the first one, this test is designed to help the university get a better understanding the TU-Alert system and its capabilities under non-emergency circumstances.

The system uses MIR3 technology that offers the broadest possible range of options in notifying Temple community members about emergencies that require them to change their plans or take rapid action to stay safe. In addition to sending alerts about imminent threats on campus, the system will also be activated when weather conditions force the university to delay or cancel classes.

In the event of an actual emergency where the broadest notification to students and employees is required, Temple will use several means to notify students and employees:

• An e-mail will be sent to all students and employees;


• A voice message and text message will be sent to all individuals who have signed up to receive such messages;


• A yellow bar will be placed across the top of the Temple home page at www.temple.edu as an alert immediately upon notification of the emergency. This bar will link to an emergency notification page with additional information.


O’Rourke again encouraged all members of the Temple community to sign up to get as many types of notification as possible.

Students should go to http://owlnet.temple.edu and log in, then click on the “Update Address” tab at the top of the screen. Click on “Emergency Notification” on the left menu and follow the instructions to fill in your information.

Faculty and staff can access their emergency information by going to http://ess.temple.edu and logging in. Under the “My Profile” section on the left, click on “Emergency Notification” and follow the instructions.