How VCU’s text and email alerts keep students and the community informed

By Brian McNeill

For new members of the Virginia Commonwealth University community, it might be a bit jarring to receive emergency text and email alerts, which provide timely warnings about potential emergencies on and near VCU's campus.

But the important thing to remember about the VCU Alerts system is that it keeps VCU students and the wider community as informed and aware of their surroundings as possible.

"I am a huge fan of campus alerts," said VCU student Laine Atkins, a junior in the Honors College who is double-majoring in theatre and psychology. "[They let me] know when to avoid certain places and about weather emergencies and anything else that could prove to be a threat.

"The alerts certainly help me feel safer," Atkins added. "If we didn't have them, I'd feel out of the loop and unsure about what's going on in the community around me."

In a spring 2024 survey of VCU students, faculty and staff, 92% of respondents reported feeling "safe" or "very safe" on both campuses. And more than 8 out of 10 agreed that VCU alert notifications increased their feelings of safety at VCU.

John Venuti, associate vice president for public safety for VCU and VCU Health and chief of the VCU Police Department, said emergency communications such as VCU's text and email alerts are a top priority because they help the VCU community's more than 50,000 students, faculty and staff take the necessary steps and actions to protect themselves.

"When we meet with students, we have consistently heard for years that VCU's text and email alerts are appreciated because they provide transparency," Venuti said. "And we know that community members look to VCU Alerts for important safety information. Safety at VCU is everyone's responsibility, and we each play a role in keeping our community safe."

As of June, VCU students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in VCU text messaging system, which sends out urgent information about safety threats, emergency situations and major operational impacts, such as severe weather and reports of certain crimes on VCU's campus or nearby. Community members, including parents, may also sign up to receive VCU text alerts.

Text alerts are not sent out for every crime on campus - only for situations that may pose an ongoing risk to the community.

"For example, if a crime occurs but the suspect is immediately arrested, you may not get an alert because there is no ongoing threat," Venuti said. "If you get a text message, you should take action accordingly and monitor the VCU Alerts webpage for more information."

Emails from the VCU Alerts system are distributed to everyone at VCU when certain crimes occur on or near campus and that pose a serious or ongoing threat to the community. As defined by the federal Jeanne Clery Act - which requires universities to report campus crime data, support victims of violence, and publicly outline the policies and procedures they have put into place to improve campus safety - these crimes include but are not limited to murder, manslaughter, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Each semester, VCU conducts a full test of its emergency communications and alerting systems, including outdoor sirens, text messages, Alertus boxes, social media, digital signage, desktop alerts, and LiveSafe and VCU mobile apps.

The university's alert system is designed to provide accurate information to the VCU community, including students, staff, faculty and neighbors, said William V. Pelfrey Jr., Ph.D., a professor in the homeland security/emergency preparedness and criminal justice programs at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU.

"Universities are required by the Clery Act to provide information on crime," Pelfrey said. "VCU fulfills this, in part, through the text system with the expectation of enhancing safety. The perception of crime is certainly influenced by these alerts, especially when a crime is solved, perpetrators are apprehended, and members of the VCU community are notified that an investigation has resulted in an apprehension."

The perception of safety at VCU is consistently very high, with annual surveys showing roughly 9 in 10 students, faculty and staff report feeling "safe" or "very safe" on campus. VCU's text and email alerts are a big reason behind that feeling, said Lincoln Knuth, a sophomore art education major in the School of the Arts.

"Richmond has the same crime as any other place does - but with the alerts, students are more informed than they would be anywhere else," he said. "It also adds to a greater sense of safety because you remain consistently informed, and if you check them regularly, you can make sure to avoid areas that the alerts mention."

Tobi Ojo, a junior who is double-majoring in health services and sociology and a student in the Honors College, agreed, noting that VCU text and email alerts can be especially helpful for students who are new to Richmond or who might not be coming from urban areas.

"Even when I am not in Richmond, I normally pay attention to the alerts," Ojo said. "It makes me aware of what crimes or issues occur and how I can better prepare and keep myself safe. I believe that it is very essential since the campus is in the city and that most students do not come from citylike environments."

Beyond crime, Ojo added, the alerts provide notification of operational impacts on campus, keeping students and other members of the community informed. "I [once] called about a flood around Snead Hall," she said. "Shortly after, an alert was sent out informing the VCU campus of the situation."

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