Update your emergency contact info

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

With hurricane season under way, now is a good time to make sure your emergency contact information at Rice is current.

The Crisis Management Team will use that information to alert you about school closings and other timely announcements via phone and e-mail.

	PHOTOS.COM

To update your emergency contact details or provide them for the first time, log in to your ESTHER account at http://esther.rice.edu. ESTHER (Employee and Student Tools, Help and Electronic Resources) is the university’s online information tool for students, faculty and staff. If you don’t know your ESTHER PIN, use the “Forgot PIN” feature or send an e-mail to people@rice.edu (if you are an employee) or to registrar@rice.edu (if you are a student).

After you access your ESTHER account, click on the link to the Rice University Emergency Notification System and type in the requested phone numbers and e-mail addresses. All personal contact information will remain confidential. Allow 24 hours for the information to be updated in the emergency notification system.

If you don’t want to be contacted during an emergency, check the “opt out” box at the bottom of the form — but this may prevent you from getting timely notices, including campus closings, intended to protect your safety.

Faculty and staff with questions about how to fill out the emergency notification form can contact Human Resources at 713-348-2232. Students can contact the Office of the Registrar at 713-348-4999 (choose option zero).

The Crisis Management Team encourages everyone to enable the text-messaging function on their cell phone for emergency purposes. Text messages won’t provide details, but they will provide alerts quickly and direct recipients to www.rice.edu, where more information is posted. Depending on your phone plan, you might be charged a small fee when you receive a text message from Rice.

The Crisis Management Team also recommends programming 713-348-8888 in your cell phone so that you will recognize calls and text messages from this number as emergency communication that warrants your immediate attention. This system is not used for routine communications.

The best place to check for updated information during a crisis is www.rice.edu. If you don’t have access to a computer, updates will also be available at 713-348-8888. Members of the Rice community should not call the Rice University Police Department for information during emergencies. The RUPD phone lines need to be available to callers who require assistance during an emergency.

For information on emergency preparedness, visit the Rice University Information Web site at www.rice.edu/emergency.