It is the policy of Amherst College to provide, without delay, immediate notification to the community upon confirmation of an incident or emergency that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of the AC community.
Amherst has implemented a Mass Notification system, AC Alert, a service that allows College officials to reach students and staff with time-sensitive information during unforeseen events or emergencies.
The system uses voice, e-mail, and text messaging to broadcast pertinent information and, when appropriate, provide directions to those in the affected area(s). The College has also installed an outdoor auditory speaker system to use in conjuncture with RAVE and Alertus. Additionally, the Amherst College main webpage (www.amherst.edu) may be used to provide emergency notification information.
Amherst College has created policy defining when the Mass Notification system will be used, without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system unless such notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, investigate or otherwise mitigate an emergency.
Those titles that may authorize and make the decision to distribute and activate an Emergency Mass Notification include:
- President
- Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
- Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
- Chief Student Affairs Officer
- Dean of Faculty
- Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
- Chief of Campus Operations
- Chief of Staff
- Chief Information Officer
- Chief Advancement Officer
- Chief Communications Officer
- Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel
- Director of Emergency Preparedness
- Chief of Amherst College Police
- Environmental Health and Safety Director
- Director of Media Communications
- Police Sergeants
The following positions are authorized to develop and initiate the immediate (emergency) notifications to the community:
System to use | Primary Message | Backup Message Creator | Authority for approving & sending messages | Primary Message Sender | Backup Message Sender |
PRIMARY | |||||
Text Message (AC-Alerts) | Chief of Police | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD | Chief of Police | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD |
Emergency Mass Communication (AC-Alert) | Chief of Police | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD | Chief of Police | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD |
SECONDARY | |||||
Outdoor Warning System | * | * | Both Chief of Police, Designee in ACPD, and Office of Public Affairs | Dispatcher
| N/A
|
Campus Wide Email Broadcast (All User Email) | Chief of Police | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD | Chief of Police | Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD |
Website | Director of Media Communi cations | Chief Communications Officer | Chief Communications Officer | Director of Media Communications | Chief Communications Officer |
Fire Alarm System (to communicate the need to evacuate the building) | * | * | ACPD staff member or Environmental Health and Safety | ACPD Staff Member | Environmental Health and Safety |
*System does not require development of a message.
- The person listed above who creates and initiates the notification will determine the appropriate segment or segments of the community to receive the message.
- Some or all of the systems listed above will be used to communicate follow-up information to the AC community.
- Members of the larger community, such as neighbors, can use the website to receive updated information about an emergency on campus.
- When at all possible, the authorized individual considering an emergency notification shall attempt to consult with another colleague from the list of individuals authorized to make a decision to distribute an immediate (emergency) notification to the community to confirm the need for an immediate notification to the community. Certain emergencies will preclude consultation. There may be times when timeliness (time of day, immediate need to know) is more critical than inclusion and consultation.
- Mass notifications may use any combination of methods and most notifications require the use of the some or all of the AC-Alert system, but do not necessarily require the use of the outside audible speakers.