CPS encourages Boxer Alerts registration

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Worst case scenario: students are walking to and from class, mingling, enjoying the last bit of sun while an armed intruder takes aim and puts his finger on the trigger of a gun.

The most direct way for Campus Public Safety to notify the Pacific community about this theoretical threat would be by text message through Boxer Alerts.

But with a new software update that reset the whole system, the majority of the Pacific’s community has not re-registered.

“Only about 29 percent of the Pacific population is registered for Boxer Alerts,” said Environmental Health and Safety Manager Robert Dahl.

Across the Forest Grove, Eugene and Hillsboro campuses, only 1,500 people including students, faculty and staff are registered.

In Forest Grove there are approximately 29.3 percent of undergraduate and graduate students are registered.

Dahl said these are discouraging numbers, considering Boxer Alerts are the only way CPS has to directly contact the Pacific community about dangerous weather conditions, building closures and threats to individual safety.

This “complacency” to re-register Dahl said even reaches to the administration level, as he had to remind some key administration members to register again.

“People aren’t taking it seriously enough,” said Dahl. “It’s the only automatic way to connect to everyone.”

CPS has tried to reach the Pacific community through posters, reminder emails and posting on the pacific website.

To further pressure the faculty and staff at Pacific, whether or not they are signed up for Boxer Alerts will be an item discussed and included in the annual review.

“That’s really the best we can do to share how important it is,” said Dahl.

And convincing people of it’s importance has worked more for the faculty and staff than students.

Approximately 65 percent of Pacific University’s faculty and staff, both full-time and part-time, are registered.

The new update was made to implement a new single sign-on login procedure, which lets Pacific accounts have access to all Pacific’s online services after logging on.

Also there were 17,000 users with the majority being inactive with old data which also effected licensing with the Boxer Alerts service provider.

“We try to stay up to date with something so critical,” said Dahl. “It was time to do house cleaning.”

Dahl said he hopes to build genuine urgency in people to understand the value of Boxer Alerts.

Especially making sure that people using it sign up for the texting service, clarify their location and make sure their information is up to date if they switch cell phone services or numbers.

The cell phone connection allows for direct connection through texting since connecting to students by email is “not a perfect system,” said Dahl.

To insure the texting and email services work appropriately, CPS, Marketing and Communications and University Information Services will have a semi-annual test of Boxer Alerts system during the week of Oct. 22 through 26.

If students, faculty or staff are signed up for the services and do not receive a test message from Boxer Alerts, Dahl advised they contact CPS regarding the issue immediately.

“Emergency preparing is something the country takes for granted,” said Dahl. “I don’t know if there is a perfect way to fix it.”

The ultimate goal, Dahl said would be to raise the percentage of individuals registered to 100 percent, but he admitted that likely wouldn’t happen.

In the future Dahl is looking to further upgrade the system.

But he said that would “require a significant financial structure.”

To register, re-register or update contact information for Boxer Alerts visit www.pacificu.edu/alerts/.

“No one wants to walk into the barrel of a gun when they could’ve

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