Emergency notification systems to be tested Jan. 13

Rice’s Crisis Management Team will conduct a test of the university’s emergency notification systems around noon Friday, Jan. 13.

Students, faculty and students should receive a text message on the cellphone they have listed as their emergency contact number. The text will come from Rice’s special emergency notification phone number (713-348-8888 or SMS short code 24639). The Crisis Management Team recommends that this phone number and SMS short code be added to the list of cellphone contacts so that recipients will be able to recognize messages from the Rice Crisis Management Team.

Anyone who is outside at the time of the test should hear an announcement on the speakers that have been installed across campus to enable RUPD to broadcast messages that can be heard outdoors during an emergency.

“It’s vitally important that we can communicate timely, critical information to you to protect your safety when we experience an emergency on campus, so we try to test our system at the beginning of each semester,” Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby wrote in an email to the Rice community as chair of the Crisis Management Team.

Students, faculty and staff who got a new phone number over the holiday break or want to change the number that emergency notification texts are sent to must update the information in their Esther account before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, to ensure that it can be added to the database in time for the Jan. 13 test. “A simple typo in your phone number will keep you from getting our text, so I encourage you to make sure the information in your Esther account is accurate,” Kirby said.

To check or update information, employees and students can log in to their personal account at esther.rice.edu and click on the link to the Rice University Emergency Notification System near the top of the main menu. Anyone who does not want Rice to contact them during an emergency can check the “opt out” box at the bottom of the form, but this may prevent them from getting notices intended to protect their safety.

Anyone who doesn’t know the PIN for their Esther account can use the “Forgot PIN” feature. Employees can also send an email to people@rice.edu or call Human Resources at 713-348-2514 for assistance with the form, and students can email registrar@rice.edu or call the Office of the Registrar at 713-348-4999 for help.

Students, faculty and staff who have entered their emergency contact information in their Esther account but don’t receive a text message from the Crisis Management Team around noon Jan. 13 should send an email to cmtcomment@rice.edu that states their name, cellphone number and the name of their cellphone service provider so the team can investigate why the communication didn’t reach them.

“We always appreciate your helping us keep you safe,” Kirby said.

More info about emergency notifications, crime-prevention efforts and safety tips can be found in Rice’s annual security report on the Rice University Police Department website under “Quick Links” at rupd.rice.edu.