Rey Castillo / Staff Writer
The DMC Alert system was created to give students important information 24 hours a day, seven days a week about important developments and emergencies on campus. In the event of a campus emergency or an important event, college officials will use DMCAlert to get information out quickly. When a message is sent, DMCAlert will use all communication methods on file with the system to reach students and employees.
DMC officials will use DMCAlert to send to those who have registered for the service and it is critical that DMC has current and correct contact information on file for this purpose.
DMCAlert is used to send out standard priority non-emergency notifications of important announcements. Recipients have the option to turn off the non-emergency messages if they do not wish to receive them.
Kelly White, director of the DMC Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management Office, knows the importance of DMC Alert. “With DMC Alert, the students have access to campus news and situations that could even save a life.”
White said, “God forbid if a student had a gun on campus and was in the Harvin Center. Other students and employees would be notified by DMC Alert that a gunman is on campus and to not head in that direction. [The system] not only helps save a life but it lets you know to tell others around you and get help immediately.”
Guns on campus have become a serious issue in the past year and a situation most schools must deal with. On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the village of Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut.
“If a gunman was on campus I would tell everyone on campus that I could and call the front office to notify them to send out the alert,” said Liberal Arts major Liberty Barrientez. “DMC Alert is something I would tell all my friends about so they could be notified of any news going on in campus,” Barrientez said.
DMC Alert could not only save a life but it can save gas as well. “If you are a student who lives far away from campus and class is canceled, DMC Alert will notify you that class is canceled so that you will not have to make that trip over,” White said.
To sign up for DMC Alert, all student and employees have to do is log onto their WEBDMC account and click the link on the right of the page to get started. Not only can DMC Alert save a life, it allows a students and faculty full access to information about what is going on at the campuses.
Liberal Arts major Alexis Perez said she feels the DMCAlert is important and should be recognized more. “DMC alert is really important because not only can students be alerted to emergencies, but they can tell others around them as well. I would encourage every student and employee to sign up for DMCAlert.”