VCU news

By Brian McNeill

Virginia Commonwealth University has long enabled VCU students, faculty, staff, parents and the Richmond community to subscribe to text alerts that provide urgent, potentially lifesaving information about safety threats, emergency situations and major operational impacts, such as severe weather.

Now, to further improve campus safety, VCU will begin automatically enrolling students, faculty and staff in the VCU Alert text messaging system starting June 5.

“We’ve had a high participation rate by students, faculty, staff and community members proactively enrolling in VCU Alert texts,” said John Venuti, VCU police chief and associate vice president for public safety. “Automating the enrollment process takes away that extra step for them but still prepares everyone for being on VCU’s campuses.”

VCU faculty and staff are asked to verify that they have the most up-to-date cell phone number in the Mobile or Cell Phone Number (Primary) field on your personal information page of the eServices/VCU Self Service website. If you do not have a phone number listed, please add one by selecting “Add New” in the Phone Number field. Make sure it is listed as a Mobile or Cell Phone Number and the checkbox for “Primary” is checked. No action is needed by students.

The VCU Alert text messages are part of a multichannel system for communicating emergency information to students, faculty, staff, visitors and the surrounding community. The system also includes emergency sirens, Alertus boxes, mass email, digital signs, desktop alerts, the LiveSafe app, the VCU Mobile app, social media and the VCU Alert website.

Users may opt out of receiving VCU Alerts on their phone at any time by replying “stop’” to a VCU Alert text message. By choosing to unenroll in VCU Alerts, users will no longer receive important emergency messages, including weather and other campus impacts. To reactivate a number that has been deactivated either by replying “stop” to a VCU Alert message or deactivating a number in the VCU Alert Subscriber Portal, you must log into the VCU Alert Subscriber Portal and activate your phone number.

Richmond community members, VCU parents and others may also continue subscribing to VCU Alert text messages by visiting the VCU Alert signup page.

If you have any questions, please contact VCU’s IT Support Center at 804-828-2227 or itsc@vcu.edu.