Texting Safety

Students and staff should sign up for TU Alert’s text messages to stay safe.

While we may all be familiar with the three consecutive TU Alert e-mails that pop up in our inboxes from time to time, what remains unfamiliar to many students is the importance of informing the Temple community of nearby dangerous incidents.

In early September, the university approved changes to the TU Alert system, which informs the university community of an emergency through a TU Advisory, a TU Alert or the TU Siren.

Of the current 46,168 Temple e-mail addresses on file, less than 30 percent of students and faculty are signed up to receive messages to their cell phones. In Rosella LaFevre’s “Hart approves changes to TU Alert system” on Page 1, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Anthony Wagner said the university intends to be very aggressive about educating students about the new system and registering them to receive alerts.

The unfortunate reality is that crime happens everywhere, and college campuses are no exception. According to Campus Safety Services’ crime statistics from 2009, 27 robberies, 17 burglaries, 474 thefts, 16 cases of simple assault and two instances of forcible rape were reported on Main Campus locations and in non-campus and public areas near campus. Last week, a non-Temple student was shot just off Main Campus.

Changes to the TU Alert system were long overdue, and the specificity of the alerts is a big improvement. The university should continue to polish the system it uses to inform students of possible dangers in the area.

The Temple News encourages students to sign up for text message alerts and to read the e-mails the TU Alert system sends. It is important to be safe and to follow safety instructions and advice.