Kathy Schofe's office suddenly became the most popular one at Augusta State University earlier this week.
"The phones, they did ring, because we got a workout," said Ms. Schofe, the university's director of public relations and publications. "For about an hour, an hour-and-a-half it was nonstop."
She said her staff fielded at least 100 calls, which continued to roll in after 6 p.m. But the calls weren't because of a newfound fondness for her office. They were because of a test of ASU's new Jaguar Alert Emergency Notification System.
The automated system worked because the calls went out.
Phones without voicemail, however, only registered a missed call from the public relations office. Students and parents who saw the missed call dialed the number, not realizing it was the test of the emergency alert system. Notice had been given a day earlier that a test would be conducted.
In an emergency situation, calls to the public relations office will be answered by a pre-recorded message.
"From our standpoint, our test was successful," Director of Public Safety Jasper Cooke said.
Tuesday's test enabled the university to identify phone numbers and e-mail addresses that were incorrectly entered into the alert system, Mr. Cooke said. Of the 2,200 people who have opted in, only 72 were incorrect. These students received an alert message in their ASU e-mail accounts.
Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.
BE ALERTED
Students can opt into Augusta State's emergency alert system at any time. A link to the Jaguar Alert Emergency Notification System can be found online at www.aug.edu.
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