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How do students find out if there is an emergency on campus? Well, if they are signed up with the Emergency Alert System, they are supposed to receive an e-mail or text message.

The Emergency Alert System is available to all students and faculty at ASU.

According to UPD, this system allows University Police and/or first responders to issue a message across campus.

The messages are supposed to go out by e-mail and text messages to all who have signed up.

However, some students have said they are not sure if they are receiving both.

Katey Buckley, a graduate student majoring in college student personnel services from Blytheville, said she thought it was a very helpful program during emergencies, but she hasn't been receiving the e-mails.

"I signed up for the alert system, or so I thought," Buckley said. "I receive the text messages, but not the e-mails that go along with them. I'm not even really sure how to get that fixed."

Heather O'Donnell, a junior advertising major from West Memphis, also said she had problems receiving the e-mails.

"The system is lacking because I don't get the messages even though I registered," O'Donnell said. "My roommate does but by the time she gets them we already know about the alert."

UPD officer Jarrod Long addressed these issues.

"We conduct a test once a month on the system to make sure that it is operational and that it works in a speedy fashion," Long said.

UPD also recommends that anyone having problems with their system should contact the IT department.

Zach Dunivan, a senior Wildlife Ecology and Management major from Senath, Mo asked why students are not automatically signed up for the alert system.

"Why not send the alerts via e-mail to the entire student body, not just to those who are registered, asked Dunivan. If the alerts are important or critical enough to let people know about; why punish the people who aren't signed up?"

Emergency Alert Systems, like the one at ASU, are supposed to be here to help students in the face of tragedies. According to EduCause Quarterly, emergency text messaging services were being considered before the Virginia Tech shooting and the move to adopt the systems were taken on with more urgency after the shooting, with the belief that they may have prevented the loss of lives.

About two and a half hours separated the first shooting at Virginia Tech from the second one. The question is if there had been text messaging alerts, would it have helped to save lives?

An article in USA Today, Could Cell Text Alert have helped at Va. Tech?, asks that questions.

The article quotes Bryan Crum, a spokesperson for Omnilert which provides text-messaging systems, like the one at ASU, to 30 campuses.

"Nothing is faster and more effective than mass texting, Omnilert said."

Long agrees that the Emergency Alert system is a vital part of keeping students safe.

"I believe that all students should sign up for the service, said Long. Simply due to most students have a cell phone and this is a good way to get important information out to the general campus populace in a quick and timely fashion."

To register for these alerts, students need to go to the University Police tab of the ASU website and click on Emergency Alert Sign Up. Students will then need to register with their student ID number and supply their cell phone number for the text alerts.