While FAU will experience budget cuts all across the university this upcoming school year, one thing is certain to be increasing: campus safety. This summer, FAU Police and the university architect are installing new safety systems that are to take effect in fall. After last year’s Virginia Tech massacre where a gunman killed 32 people before taking his own life, FAU spokesperson Kristine McGrath says that the university set up a safety committee, which included various members of the FAU community, to deliberate the current systems in place as well as what new systems would work best. This past April, FAU had its own scare when a gunman fired two rounds on the Boca student apartments. With many new systems being implemented, students now need to know what to expect in case of emergency.
Siren Alert SystemWhat it is: A noise so loud Police Chief Lowe says that attendants at the Boca Raton airport can hear it. Three sirens are strategically located on the Boca campus and when an emergency takes place, the Police Department releases the sirens as well as an automated voice notification telling campus attendees to get off campus or to find a safe spot immediately. This was the first safety system the university used during the campus shooting that took place earlier this year.
Reverse 911What it is: Instead of you calling the police during an emergency, they call you. An automated voice message system will call you to let you know there is an emergency and not to go on campus. While this may be a great tool for the Police Department for when an emergency happens, FAU Police Chief Charles Lowe says that it can take some time to call 27,000 students – and that’s not including faculty. However, Lowe says it’s one of many ways that they plan on contacting the FAU community. Testing for this system, along with the text messaging and siren alert system have already taken place. However, Sharlene Sookhoo, emergency planning coordinator for Environmental Health and Safety says that testing is “ongoing and will continue indefinitely.”
Text MessagingWhat it is: It’s like the Reverse 911 system, except it gives the FAU Police Department the opportunity to contact more people in less time. By sending out mass text messages with a notification of an emergency on campus, the message can reach many more people at once than the Reverse 911 system, and quicker.
Pantech Zoom CamerasWhat they are: FAU is already equipped with nearly 350 cameras across all seven campuses – 250 of which are on the Boca campus alone. Earlier this year, the Police Department purchased three Pantech Zoom cameras. FAU already uses fixed cameras – what most security cameras are like, unable to zoom or move direction. Picture yourself watching a convenience store robbery on the 5 p.m. news. The Pantech Zoom has the ability to zoom in on anything, wherever it is located, with a clearer picture than the fixed cameras. One was installed near Lot 23 on the Boca campus – where Police Chief Lowe says a lot of car robberies take place – and that lot has already seen a lot more robbers caught due to the new camera installed.
Make Sure FAU Has Your Digits
Take two minutes now to save you time in an emergency
By Samantha Andrews, Staff Writer
If you haven’t set up your phone to be notified by FAU when there is an emergency, then you need to get on it. Not only will FAU notify you when there is a campus lockdown but they will also send you a text message or call you in case of a hurricane or tornado.
This step-by-step guide (yes, it really takes two minutes) will help you set up your phone number(s) and keep you in contact in case of an emergency.
How to set up your phone:
1. Go to MyFAU and log in.
2. Click on the FAU Self-Service (OWLS) link.
3. Click on Personal Information.
4. Go to View FAU Alert Telephone Numbers to see which phone numbers FAU has on file for you. If the number(s) are accurate then you don’t need to update them, but if they are incorrect then continue to the following steps.
5. Go to Update FAU Alert Telephone Numbers.
6. Click on the number that is incorrect or click New FAU Alert Number to add a new number.
7. Enter the new number with area code, choose the type of phone number, and check the box if you can receive text messages, then click submit changes.
8. Add more numbers if you have a house phone or if you would like your parents or anyone else to be notified in case of an emergency.
*Be sure to prioritize phone numbers (if you add more than one) by numbering them in the order you’d like to be notified. You can add up to three phone numbers including cell, home and work.
