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The Daily Tar Heel

Alerting Carolina

Registration drive for emergency text sign-ups

Administrators are ramping up advertising of the University's emergency notification system this fall in an effort to combat low sign-up rates.

Armed with a laptop and free goodies, members of student government sat in the Pit on Wednesday and Thursday to encourage students to sign up for Alert Carolina, UNC's emergency notification system.

"It's so easy to sign up," Student Body Vice President Todd Dalrymple said. "I don't know why students wouldn't."

But many members of the UNC community are not registering their cell phone numbers to receive emergency text messages.

As of Aug. 1, about 11,000 students, faculty and staff had signed up for Alert Carolina text messages, 6,700 of whom were students, said Mike McFarland, director of University communications.

That's almost double the number of people who were registered in January but still only about one quarter of the student body.

"That's certainly progress, but if you think about it, it's still just a fraction of the University community," McFarland said.

This fall, University officials increased Alert Carolina advertising by putting a full-page ad in the Carolina Week by Week planner, a preset bookmark on new Carolina Computing Initiative laptops and a link to the Alert Carolina Web site on the UNC home page, McFarland said.

"We're just trying to get the message in as many hands as possible," he said, adding that he understands the University will not be able to get everyone signed up. "But we still have a lot of work to do, and we realize that."

First-year students also received information about Alert Carolina at C-TOPS though many students have not yet registered their cell phone numbers.

"I just keep forgetting," said first-year Elizabeth Ryan. "Whenever I hear about it, I can't do it at that time."

First-year Daniel Brannock said that he first heard about Alert Carolina during a safety lecture at C-TOPS but that he has since forgotten to register. He said the University should hand out fliers on campus.

"If somebody hands me something, I usually read it and throw it away, but at least I read it," Brannock said.

Students who signed up at student government's table received coupons to Student Stores, toiletry gift boxes and soda donated by Student Stores and Carolina Dining Services.

"We certainly recognize that - students hearing that message from other students - they're more likely to pay attention to that than getting an e-mail," McFarland said.

Several students stopped by student government's table to register.

"Honestly the Pepsi attracted me," said junior Jimmy Waters. "But it's a nice safety net to have in case something happens."

Click here to visit the Alert Carolina Web site.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.

 

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