Just for safety

Last April, the infamous Virginia Tech massacre shocked the country and forced colleges everywhere to consider the possibility of a similar occurrence on their campuses. Castleton State College officials hope it will never happen here, but they chose not to not take any chances.

It was decided that the college needed a safety precaution in the form of the emergency notification system we now have. A company called Send Word Now worked with school leaders to come up with a system that would alert students, faculty and staff in case of an emergency.

E-mails were sent out to faculty and students urging them to give the school their contact information so that they could be reached by e-mail and phone.

Many students responded to the e-mails although some, like Loren Sylvester, didn’t.

“I got the e-mails, but they annoyed me so I decided not to respond to them” he said lounging on his bed.

Student Kim Lyons did provide her information and said she believes the program is a good idea.

“It allows the school to contact students even on their cell phone in case they aren’t by their computer,” she said.

Those who did respond, were recently sent out a test warning to see if the system was working properly.

Student Kathryn Safko said she feels that the system should also be used to let people know when there is a snow day.

Lyons disagrees, saying “we already have a number to call and receive e-mails specifically for snow days.”

Despite the mixed feelings about the system, Bob Godlewski, head of the college Public Safety Department, said he hasn’t heard any negative feedback.

He said the system has so far been successful, but he said he hopes that more people will send in their contact information. He also hopes that in the near future there will be sirens letting the campus know that there is an emergency and they need to check their phone or email for details.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous post CSCs own race track
Next post Sports Column