Opt in for chance to win iPad
Signing up for Concordia’s emergency SMS text message notifications is quick and easy, and students who do so before the end of the month will automatically be entered in a draw for a free iPad.
To sign up, students must log in to the MyConcordia portal and click on the “messaging” tab. The winner will be drawn from students who register or update their contact information before October 31.
Darren Dumoulin, senior advisor for Concordia’s emergency management office, says the text messaging service is just one part of Concordia’s strategy for notifying members of the university community during emergencies, but that it’s probably most effective for reaching students. “Students pretty much live on their portable devices, so if we can reach them through texting, it’s a great way to get our messages out about an emergency situation on campus,” he says.
Emergency texts will include basic information about a situation, as well as the phone number for the emergency information line (514-848-8800), where more detailed information will be available.
About 8,000 students have signed up for Concordia’s emergency SMS messages so far, but Dumoulin says he hopes the contest will help encourage more students to register. “A lot of the registered students are carried over from last year. We want to get more new students to sign up,” he says.
The Office of Emergency Management also uses email and the Concordia.ca website to reach students during emergencies. When students register for the emergency messaging service, they can choose whether they want to receive text messages, emails, or both.
Updates are also posted on social media platforms, including Emergency Management’s Twitter account (@concordia911) and Facebook page.
Related Links:
• Concordia’s Office of Emergency Management
• Emergency Management on Facebook
• Emergency Management on Twitter
• “Getting Prepared” — NOW, September 26, 2012