Dear Ithaca College Community,
We hope that you are having a great start to your semester! We are reaching out today to remind our campus community about important safety information to be aware of in case an emergency situation strikes. Unfortunately, 2023 has already been filled with tragedies across the country as it relates to violence and natural disasters. Please continue reading below to explore the many ways you can stay well-informed in emergency situations and how you can better prepare yourself in the event of an emergency. At Ithaca College, please know that we will always do everything possible to keep you safe, informed, and empowered!
IC Alert Emergency Notification System (ENS)
Ithaca College has partnered with Rave Mobile Safety to provide a comprehensive IC Alert Emergency Notification System (ENS) that can deliver time-sensitive messages to members of the campus community via phone, email and text, and push notifications. The college also has an Outdoor Warning System that can alert campus community members via a siren and loudspeaker when they are outdoors and traveling between buildings. By default, ENS messages go to all active Ithaca College email accounts and to faculty and staff office telephones that are listed in the campus directory. Additionally, we recently announced upgrades to this system which allows the College to also send alerts to all mobile phone numbers that the college has access to via the Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) system.
RAVE Guardian
All members of the IC community have access to the RAVE Guardian application. The app allows individuals to access a whole host of services and resources with just a few clicks on a smartphone. The Rave Guardian app lets you:
- Call Ithaca College Public Safety or your local 911 emergency services with just two clicks.
- Call a variety of Ithaca College and external Support/Crisis lines and services, ranging from the National Suicide Prevention and Poison Control hotlines to the IC Health Center, Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Information Technology Service Desk.
- Access the websites of important campus Emergency Resources, including CAPS, the LGBTQ Center, the Title IX office, and Facilities Customer Service Center.
- Set a Guardian Timer, through which you can invite a friend or family member to serve as your “guardian” and virtually escort you to and/or from an on-campus or off-campus location.
Additionally, the app also has push notification options that allow users to be able to receive IC emergency alerts even if they do not have cell service but are connected to Wi-Fi. We strongly encourage all members of our IC community to download the RAVE Guardian Application at their earliest convenience to be sure that you are staying prepared in the event of an emergency.
IC Visitor Alerts
Ithaca College’s Emergency Notification System also allows campus visitors and others who are not current students, faculty, or staff to sign up to receive an IC Alert text whenever the college sends out an emergency message. If you wish to opt into this service, text “ICVisitor” to 226787 to receive messages from Ithaca College. You can stop receiving messages at any time by texting “leave ICVisitor” to 226787. Message and data rates may apply. Text messages are sent on an as-needed basis. On July 15 of each year, all opt-in users will be purged from the system, at which time you must re-enroll if you wish to continue receiving IC Alert text messages for the next year.
Being Prepared
The college has taken proactive measures and steps to make sure that all community members can be appropriately prepared in the event of an emergency. We encourage all members of our community to please read the Emergency Readiness and Response Guide. This guide gives detailed information on how to react to most situations including how to evacuate, how to shelter in place, and also covers various types of emergencies such as active shooter situations, fires, and severe weather.
Learning Opportunities for Campus Community
Each semester, the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management offers learning opportunities to students through the Student Leadership Institute (SLI). This semester we will be offering a session in Block I on Monday, September 18, titled “Emergency Preparedness: Skills and Tips for Keeping Yourself Safe in an Emergency.” SLI sessions are open to all current IC students. Additional learning opportunities will also be announced via IC Engage later this semester.
Additionally, Public Safety develops and provides an Emergency Preparedness and Response Training Program that is offered on an ongoing basis to staff and faculty. During these sessions, participants learn how to keep themselves and others safe in an emergency, as well as recommended response strategies and preparedness resources.
Save the Dates
Please mark your calendars for Thursday, September 21. On this day we will be conducting a test of the Emergency Notification System including the Outdoor Warning System. This test is conducted once per semester and allows us to better gauge improvements we can make to better serve our campus community in emergency situations. More information about the testing of the ENS systems will be conveyed via Intercom as we get closer to the test.
Also mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 4, as the U.S. Government will be testing the National Emergency Alert system. More information on that test can be found here.
We hope that all this information is helpful to our IC community and can help better prepare you for emergencies that could happen both on and off campus.
With gratitude,
Samm Swarts
Assistant Director of Emergency Preparedness & Response
Elyse Nepa
Assistant Director of the Clery Act & Prevention Education