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SUNY NY-Alert
The College at Brockport's Emergency Notification System
FAQs about the April 7 NY Alert System Test
- Why do we have to test the alert system?
- What is the process?
- What can I expect from the test?
- How will you know if the test has been effective?
- Can I still sign up for New York Alert?
Questions about SUNY NY-Alert can be addressed to the ITS Help Desk at (585) 395-5151 option 1, or helpdesk@brockport.edu.
Why do we have to test the alert system?
Since December more than 6,200 faculty, students and staff have registered with the New York Alert emergency notification system. A system of this complexity and importance requires regular testing to assure that all the communication "gateways" will function optimally in the event of an emergency. Part of that testing is conducted behind the scenes, but occasionally it will be necessary to involve the entire campus community in order to best approximate the conditions likely to exist during a real event and to raise awareness of the system.
What is the process?
The first campus-wide test of the New York Alert emergency notification system will occur at 1 pm on Monday, April 7th. At that time, a test message will begin to be delivered to all the phone numbers and email addresses of faculty, staff and students who have registered through the Campus Information System. Given the volume of registrants, email, voice, text and fax messages will not be delivered simultaneously. While New York Alert is capable of sending messages at a very high rate, our campus communications systems, like most colleges, are not capable of handling a very large volume of incoming email and phone calls instantaneously. As a result, incoming messages must be "throttled"; that is, New York Alert will regulate the volume of messages sent to our campus so as not to incapacitate our systems.
Most messages to campus phones and email accounts should be delivered by 1:30 pm, though "retry" mechanisms could still be delivering messages to some users much later than that. It is also possible, though unlikely, that the campus email and/or phone systems will be tied up by New York Alert at 2 pm or later.
What can I expect from the test?
The speed of delivery to non-campus phone numbers and email accounts will depend upon your service provider. It is strongly advised that text messaging NOT be your primary point of contact with New York Alert because only the subject line from the New York Alert message is delivered as text so your message will not be complete. It's also important to note that New York Alert attempts text message numbers only once and cannot know if the message was successfully delivered.
Conversely, all of the voice numbers you registered will be attempted three times. Once you have been reached at one of your numbers, your other phone numbers will NOT be contacted. The intent of New York Alert is to never leave a voice message, which is why you will be asked to press any key on your phone after answering. The New York alert message will then play for you.
How will you know if the test has been effective?
Ultimately, the effectiveness of any emergency notification system will depend largely upon the participation of the campus community and the engagement of those who are notified. During the test, please take note of the time when you first receive a notification or hear from someone who has been notified before you. After the test, you will receive a brief survey via email. Your completed survey will provide us vital information about the effectiveness of the system.
Can I still sign up for New York Alert?
Yes. If you want to register with New York Alert, or need to update your information, click "Sign Up Now" at the SUNY NY Alert Web site. You can also access the New York Alert registration from the link on the College's home page.
To be eligible to participate in the test on April 7, you must be registered by 10 am on Friday, April 4, to allow the system database enough time to be updated.
