Sign up for notifications
The university's new emergency contact system is a fairly good idea.
But it has one catch: Students actually need to participate in it.
The plan, through National Notification Network (3N), will send students a text message in case of a campus emergency.
Of course, 3N doesn't start with a comprehensive directory of students' cell phone numbers; rather, it needs students to sign up for the program.
With as little as a few minutes of their time, students could endorse the university's wise decision to better prepare for emergencies.
It's a matter of clicks. Visit the CMU Portal. Go to "Academics," then to "My Account Options." Click on "Emergency Notification" on the left. Input some information.
And after a quick confirmation, students are connected.
The university and 3N both acknowledge that the average student still may not feel compelled to exert the marginal effort to register for the program.
A 3N representative said several universities have faced similar registration challenges, and have offered free iPods or giveaways to encourage students to sign up.
This, of course, is silly.
The opportunity to be better informed with no particular hassle should be worthwhile on its own merits.
In the wake of campus crises across the nation, a better stream of communication should seem to be a significant asset.
Campus e-mail, as January's blackout served to remind us, is not always infallible, and a quick bit of damage to CMU's networks can cut off the entire flow.
And a cell phone, to which many students are attached at the hip, provides immediate contact.
For students to neglect this benefit, simply on the basis of not feeling like registering, is foolish.
