More and more students, faculty and staff at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus are signing up for Arkansas Tech’s emergency text message system.
At the end of the fall semester, 346 people had signed up for the Campus Emergency Outreach Notification (CEON) system. As of Monday, the number had grown to 577 – a 66 percent increase. The CEON system is fully integrated with the Blackboard system, an online feature for classes that faculty, staff and students use daily. Persons signed up to CEON receive a text from the university in the event of a life-threatening emergency, as well as if classes are cancelled due to inclement weather. Chancellor Jo Alice Blondin said, “The safety of our campus is a priority, and CEON is an excellent tool for reaching students.” To promote CEON and encourage students to sign up, Arkansas Tech-Ozark held a promotional contest last week, randomly selecting a new CEON user. Roger Evans of Fort Smith, a health information technology major, was selected and won a $100 gift certificate to the campus bookstore, courtesy of the chancellor’s office. “Though we incentivized the sign-up process and made it fun, the students are aware that safety is a very serious matter,” Blondin said.–30–
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