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For any questions please send e-mail to: NDSU Policy Manual

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SECTION 721: CAMPUS EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS (CENS)

SOURCE: NDSU President,
SBHE Policy Manual 1902, NDUS Procedures 1902, Higher Education Act

1. Effective with the beginning of the fall 2008 semester, each institution and the NDUS office shall have in place an emergency notification system. An "emergency notification system" means a system established for the purpose of and dedicated to enabling institution or system officials to quickly contact or send messages to employees and students in event of an emergency. An "emergency" means a situation that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of someone in the institution or system community or significantly disrupts institution or system programs and activities.

   1.1

   Beginning with the fall 2008 semester, the system office and all institutions shall subscribe to the NotiFind emergency notification system, in partnership with OMB Risk Management Division and other state agencies. Thereafter, the system office and NDUS institutions shall continue to participate in NotiFind or other single, uniform system for all institutions, approved by the NDUS CIO. The NDUS CIO shall approved all NDUS or institution contracts for emergency notification systems.

   1.2

   Implementing procedures shall, as mandated by the 2008 amendments to the Higher Education Act, provide for activation of an emergency notification system to "immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving the immediate threat to the health or safety of students or staff occurring on the campus, unless issuing a notification will compromise efforts to contain the emergency."

2. All NDUS employees must participate in the emergency notification system. Participation means employees shall submit emergency notification information and update that information as provided in the institution's or system's emergency notification system policy and procedures.

   2.1

   All NDSU employees, including graduate and undergraduate student employees, must participate in the emergency notification system. Employees shall submit emergency notification information and update that information as requested by the university or as employees become aware of changes in their personal information. This verification process will be completed in PeopleSoft/Oracle in a manner established by ConnectND.

3. Students other than student employees, although not required to participate, shall be notified of their opportunity to participate in the emergency notification system and encouraged to do so during registration or as otherwise provided under an institution's emergency notification system policy or procedures. All student employees, including undergraduate and graduate student employees, must participate in the emergency notification system.

   3.1

   Participation means students shall submit emergency notification information and update that information as requested by the university or as students become aware of changes in their personal information. At a minimum, verification date should occur at least once a semester to assist in having the most current information available during the emergency notification process.

4. Employee emergency notification telephone numbers or other emergency notification information is exempt from the state's open records laws as provided in SBHE Policy 1912.4 and may be released only as provided in that policy. Student emergency notification information, or contact information such as phone numbers or email addresses submitted for purposes of participation in an emergency notification system, shall be excluded from directory information and is, therefore, confidential as provided under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). However, if a student phone number or email or other address submitted for the purpose of participation in an emergency notification system is also contained in other institution records used for other purposes, the information contained in the other institution records is directory information and not confidential, unless a student has exercised the student's right to refuse to permit disclosure of directory information.

5. Emergency notification systems must be tested periodically and at least once during each semester.

   5.1

   The University Police & Safety Office will be responsible for the testing of the CENS on a monthly basis, which will be the first Wednesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.

6. The only personnel authorized to approve an emergency message are the NDSU President, members of the President's Cabinet, the Director of University Police & Safety Office (UP&SO) or a designated representative(s) of these officials.

   6.1

   The designated representative(s) must be identified in writing to the UP&SO by the appropriate authorized personnel listed in section 6 above.

   6.2

   When an emergency notification message is authorized, it becomes the responsibility of the office or department originating the message to provide any follow-up and/or end of emergency messages for release. It is also the responsibility of the originating office or department to coordinate any media contact through University Relations at the time of the notification and/or during the emergency, unless an otherwise designated media protocol is established as part of the NDSU Crisis Management Response Team plan.

7. Emergency notification messages may only be transmitted through the UP&SO Communications Call Center, which operates on a 24/7 basis.

   7.1

   An emergency notification message must receive authorization from a person listed in section 6 above.

   7.2

   The Communications Call Center operator will give priority to the transmission of the emergency notification message and utilize the NDSU Campus Emergency Notification System (CENS).

   7.3

   Communication Call Center operators will document the receipt and transmission of all emergency notification messages.

8. Instructors will be permitted to require students to turn cell phones off in class only if the instructor has a registered cell phone or other phone or means of receiving emergency messages in use at all times students are required to turn their cell phones off.

   8.1

   Instructors may not require students' cell phones to be turned off in class, unless the instructor has a cell phone registered within the NDSU CENS, in use and on his/her person during class or another phone or means of receiving NDSU CENS notices is available in the classroom.

9. To report an emergency, call 911 for ambulances/fire/police/sheriff. When calling remain on the line, give location and describe the emergency.

   9.1

   Employees and students should become familiar with evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures and guidelines in the Personal Safety & Security on the NDSU Campus handbook available in hard copy from UP&SO or on-line at the University Police website.

HISTORY: February 2009.