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College upgrades emergency alert system to InformaCast; board hears concerns about broad opt-in alerts
Summary
Campus IT reported a transition from Rave to InformaCast Fusion for emergency communications, highlighting E911 integration and multi-channel alerts; board members raised concerns that off-campus students are receiving campus-wide alerts and asked about location-based filtering and opt-out options.
Mid State has transitioned its campus emergency alerting from Rave to InformaCast Fusion, a cloud-based system administrators say will improve integration with campus phones, speakers, signage and enable more targeted alerting.
Brad (speaker S3), who presented the upgrade, described InformaCast’s capabilities: multi-channel delivery to IP phones, speakers, digital signage and mobile devices; integration with E911-enabled IP phones to provide building- and room-level location context; preconfigured messages for rapid activation; and potential future links to Microsoft Teams or WebEx. He said future enhancements could include wearable Wi-Fi-enabled lanyards and environmental or medical-safety sensor integrations.
When asked whether students are mandated to download the system to their phones, Brad said the system enrolls users automatically at registration (based on the phone number provided) and that there is an opt-out option. Board members reported complaints from people who received campus alerts while they were off campus because the system does not currently detect a user’s physical location to filter messages. "It is not optional. I believe they can opt out," Brad said when asked about student enrollment; he clarified that enrollment is automatic but an opt-out exists.
Board members and staff discussed the trade-offs: wide distribution increases reach for active-shooter, severe-weather or other campus-wide emergencies, but may generate complaints for users off campus. Brad noted challenges with students who attend multiple campuses and said the system’s current configuration sends alerts to all registered users for safety and consistency. The IT team will continue to evaluate mobility and filtering options as the system is further implemented.
The board received the informational update with questions and discussion but took no formal action on the alert system at the meeting.
