Text savvy folks at UVA will now get a jump on any campus emergency. In an effort to improve communication in the event of a local version of the Virginia Tech tragedy, UVA has rolled out its text-messaging alert system. UVA students, faculty and staff can now sign up so that in the event of “emergency situations in which there is an imminent threat to public safety,” they will receive texts no longer than 125 characters. UVA provided a sample message on a website explaining the system: “GUNMAN AT LARGE NEAR (LOCATION). SHELTER IN PLACE. DETAILS AT VIRGINIA.EDU.” While one shivers to consider ever receiving such a text message, the system, which UVA says will be rarely used, makes practical use of the latest tech craze to get important alerts out. In addition to the text alerts, UVA also has e-mail and RSS feeds that can alert the wired to dangerous threats. Sign up at www.virginia.edu/uvaalerts.
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