This FAQ provides answers to questions about your notification information, how notifications will be sent, and supported features. For general questions or technical assistance with the Emergency Notification System, contact the Southwestern University InfoDesk at 512-819-7333.

When will the Emergency Alert Notification System be used?
The system will only be used to reach you in the event of a campus or regional emergency as defined by University officials.

Will I receive Emergency Alerts if I don’t provide phone numbers?
No. However, Southwestern University strongly recommends that you provide your phone numbers, especially your mobile number.

How often can I change my contact information in the Emergency Notification Database?
You may change your information as often as necessary by visiting the campus portal at my.southwestern.edu and proceeding to the User Profile section in Self-Service.

Can I opt-out of Emergency Notifications?
You may opt-out of all Emergency Notifications, except for email notifications, by submitting all blank phone numbers in the data entry page. Southwestern University strongly recommends that you provide at least one phone number.

Can I be notified via text messaging?
Yes, you can designate one of your contact numbers as a text messaging phone.

Why did I receive a confirming text message?
A confirming text message is sent to ensure that the service is working correctly. The message also contains instructions about how to opt-out of the text messaging service although we do no recommend doing so.

Will I receive an email notification?
Yes. E-mails are sent to your Southwestern University email account. You may also receive mail at an alternate e-mail address if you wish.

Will campus phones be included in Emergency Alert Notifications?
Yes. Emergency Alert Notifications will be sent to your campus telephone number using a feature of our telephone system. Students, faculty and staff should NOT specify campus office phone numbers in their individual contact information.

Can I receive notifications by more than one method?
Yes, you will receive e-mail notifications in the event of an emergency. Additionally, you can select to be notified by voice, text messaging, and TTY/TDD services.

Does the system support TTY/TDD devices for the hearing impaired?
Yes. You must designate one of your contact numbers as TTY/TDD enabled.

What is TTY/TDD?
A TTY is a special device that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate, by allowing them to type text messages. A TTY is required at both ends of the circuit to communicate. TDD = Telecommunication Device for the Deaf.

All faculty, staff and students may opt-in to the Emergency Notification System’s text messaging service by visiting my.southwestern.edu and providing a text-enabled phone number in the User Profile section in Self-Service.

What happens after I sign up (opt-in) for text messaging via the web portal?
After you sign up online, the Connect-ED service will automatically send a text message to your mobile phone to confirm your request. This confirmation occurs during business hours between 10am – 6pm PST (8a-4p CST).

What will the confirmation message say?
The confirmation message will be similar to the following:

SU ALERT: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply “HELP” or “STOP SU” to opt-out.

What is the “sender” number of text messages?
You will see “23177” as the number sending you the confirmation message and all subsequent messages.  Please save this number in your cell phone’s directory and program it as “SU ENS” so that you can quickly recognize it as the official source of Southwestern University’s messages.

If I sign up at night, when will I receive the confirmation request?
The confirmation requests are sent during business hours (10am to 6pm PST).  Since we upload data into the Connect-ED service only on the following days, Monday - Friday, you should expect the confirmation request to arrive the following workday.

I did not receive a confirmation message.  What happened?
Have someone send you a text message to ensure that text messaging is working. You might alsocheck with your mobile phone provider to find out if your device accepts text messages. You may need to subscribe to a text messaging plan in order to receive or reply to text messages. If your phone is text-enabled and you did not receive the confirmation message, please contact the InfoDesk at (512) 819-7333 or infodesk@southwestern.edu.

I did not receive a confirmation message because my phone wasn’t text enabled.  I have since contacted my mobile phone provider to enable it. Do I need another confirmation message sent?
No. If your SMS phone was already submitted to our database, you should be confirmed to receive SMS alerts from us. However, you may verify your subscription by texting the word “SUBSCRIBE” to “23177”. You will receive a reply with the following:

SU ALERT: This phone number has already been opted in. More info text reply “HELP” or “STOP SU” to opt-out

How do I opt-out?
You may opt-out at any time by texting “STOP SU” or “QUIT SU” to 23177.

What if I opted-out but later decide I would like to opt-in again?
You may opt-in (subscribe) by texting “SUBSCRIBE SU” to 23177.

If I change mobile phone providers but keep the same number, do I need to opt-in again?
No.  Once your phone number has been opted-in, it stays registered within the system.