In this article
- What is UMD Alerts
- Do I have to sign up or am I signed up automatically?
- What types of alerts will be sent?
- Will my cell phone work?
Visit the FAQ pages for more information.
NOTE: Only people currently associated with the University of Maryland are able to subscribe to the Alerts system.
What is UMD Alerts
The UMD Alerts system is a mass, urgent notification system, comprised of a variety of methods by which the University can notify students, faculty and staff of an active, major campus emergency:
- Text messages (SMS) to mobile devices
- Feed to Alertus Beacons
- Early Warning Siren
- Email (some email providers such as Yahoo may take up to 1 hour to deliver messages)
When the University of Maryland Police Department determines there is an active emergency in which the public safety of the campus community may be at risk, an urgent notification through the UMD Alerts System will be initiated. Examples of when UMD Alerts will be activated include but are not limited to:
- When a person is actively shooting a weapon on campus
- When a tornado is predicted to strike the campus area
- When a major hazardous material spill is impacting a large portion of campus
Localized incidents (such as a small fire, hazardous material spill in a lab, isolated criminal offense) likely would not require a mass notification.
Do I have to sign up or am I signed up automatically?
All UMD Students, faculty and staff members will be automatically registered to receive email notification to their email address associated with their UMD directory account. In order to receive UMD Alert SMS (text) messages, faculty, staff and students must register a mobile device number.
UMD students, faculty and staff are added to the UMD Alerts system on a monthly basis. You information will be imported from DivIT during the next import, which occurs during the first week of each month.
Login here to edit your settings.
What Types of alerts will be sent?
- UMD Emergency Alerts
Issued via text message (SMS) and email in the event of a situation or incident on or near campus which poses an imminent threat to health or safety. Localized incidents (such as a small fire, hazardous material spill in a lab, isolated criminal offense) likely would not require a mass notification. Examples of when an emergency alert may be issued include:
- When a tornado or other dangerous weather event is predicted to strike the campus area.
- When a major hazardous material spill is impacting a large portion of campus.
- When a person is actively shooting a weapon on campus or a bomb threat that police believe is credible enough to take precautions.
- Other kinds of significant emergencies on or near campus where emergency alerts will be helpful.
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UMD Advisory
When there is important information about things affecting the campus community, an Informational Advisory will be issued via UMD Alerts. Examples include (but not limited to):
- Weather related campus closure or delayed opening.
- Event/Incident widely affecting campus operations.
- UMD Safety Notice
When there is important information about a crime or incident which poses an ongoing risk to the safety of University community members, UMPD will issue a "UMD Safety Notice." UMD Safety Notices are NOT intended to serve as emergency alerts. They are meant to provide information to the UMD community and to raise awareness. UMD Safety Notices are delivered to UMD Students, Faculty and Staff via email only (to the email account associated with the directory ID). Examples of when a UMD Safety Notice may be sent include:
- When an armed robbery occurs on or near the UMD campus and the perpetrator has not been identified or apprehended.
- If a series of a particular crime occurs in a specific area, such as a rash of thefts from vehicles in a parking lot or several thefts from residence hall rooms in a building or cluster of buildings (i.e., high rise community, south campus, etc.)
Will my cell phone work?
UMD Alerts uses the text messaging (SMS network) feature of your cell phone to deliver alerts. To ensure you will receive UMD Alert text messages, be sure that your carrier allows messages from "short codes". Short codes must be enabled on your mobile device carrier's account in order to receive SMS messages from UMD Alerts.