Lunch invitations; plans for Friday night partying; blurry, low-resolution photos of friends making funny faces 'these are the things modern college students expect to find in their text messages. Before recently, few considered its potential for saving lives. But that's the unorthodox idea behind the new initiative on campus ' a system in which text messages are used to alert students of emergency situations.
In light of the recent shooting at Virginia Tech, one thing is clear ' student safety just ain't what it used to be. It is comforting, then, to see our university taking a proactive approach to campus security. But it should not be commended simply for embracing new technology; it should also be praised for its judicious approach to student participation. Taking part in the emergency text messaging system is entirely optional, other methods of reaching students, such as e-mail, are in place.
The university understands a text messaging system will not work for everyone.
Though the idea of a cell phone without text messaging might seem unlikely to today's tech-savvy, nimble-fingered youth, they do exist. Wilder still is the thought that some students roam the streets of Athens without any cell phone at all. A rare breed indeed, but one the university has not forgotten. OU officials do make an effort to inform students of important campus happenings via e-mail.
Aside from the students who don't have text messaging capabilities, some don't want to receive text messages from the university or give OU their cell phone numbers.
Students have good reason to fear for their privacy ' OU has a history of leaving personal information vulnerable to hackers. Although university representatives have assured wary students that the information is secure and will not be utilized by telemarketers, it remains the right of the skeptic to guard his or her phone number. This is the important part: participation is 100 percent voluntary.
Frugal students, on the other hand, have chosen to abstain for the sake of their cell phone bills. Students without dedicated text messaging plans would be charged for each message received at rates determined by their cell phone provider, typically about five or ten cents apiece. Is it crazy to forgo emergency information to save what is essentially pocket change? Maybe so, maybe not, but facts are facts: some penny-wise students do not wish to participate and the university seems happy to oblige.
The bottom line is to provide students with as many options as possible without making anything mandatory. No one system will work for everyone.
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OU surprises everyone by utilizing cell phones as an emergency notification system
