On Wednesday, Ohio State ran the first test of its Buckeye Alert System. The system is a text messaging service that alerts subscribers if a campus emergency occurs. According to a recent Lantern article “Text alert to perform first test,” the system has about 14,000 subscribers, of which roughly 8,000 are students.
The Lantern commends OSU for creating and testing such a system. With the shootings on or around college campuses in 2007, every campus should implement some kind of emergency alert system.
Although more than 8,000 students sounds like a lot, it represents only about 16 percent of the main campus enrollment, according to the article. This low enrollment might be attributed to a lack of knowledge about the system. The Lantern believes that more students should subscribe to receive the text alert. It could be a lifesaver.
