Emergency Notification and Timely Warnings

Emergency Notification

Upon confirmation that a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees is occurring on campus or on nearby city streets, CCS will provide notification to the campus community. Any such notification will be provided by the following methods:

The College for Creative Studies uses an electronic emergency notification system called Everbridge. This system has the capability of sending electronic emergency notices regarding severe weather, school closings and emergency situations to all students, staff, and faculty via their CCS email account and cell phone (if registered with the Alert system). CCS will automatically create accounts for all students, staff, and faculty in the Everbridge system using their campus email address and cell phone number if available in the College’s records. Students, staff, and faculty will be sent an invitation to edit their profile once created to add additional cell phone numbers or change their email address. The College encourages all community members to include a cell phone number in their profile. In the event of an emergency situation on campus, the message will include the location of the emergency and instructions on what action to take.

All students, faculty and staff are urged to provide current personal cell phone so that we can contact you as quickly as possible in the event of an actual emergency. Cell phone numbers are especially important as these devices provide the fastest and most effective way for users to receive information. Your personal cell phone number will only be used for emergency notification purposes. While your profile is automatically created, it is important that you update your profile information to keep the most current forms of contact for the alert system.

CCS’s website—when it is deemed necessary, the College will also utilize the website’s home page to inform and update community members about an emergency occurring on campus. The web alert will contain information about the nature of the emergency and the steps being taken to address the situation.

Timely Warnings Reports (Safety Alerts)

Campus Safety and/or the Dean of Students is responsible for issuing timely warnings in compliance with the Clery Act. These warnings alert students, faculty and staff to crimes that may present an ongoing threat to the campus community. CCS issues timely warnings in a manner that is timely and that withholds as confidential the names and other identifying information of victims and that will aid in the prevention of similar crimes. CCS will issue timely warnings to the campus community on crimes that are:

  1. Crimes required to be report reported to the U.S. Department of Education and disclosed in this annual security report
  2. Reported to Campus Security Authorities
  3. Considered by CCS to represent a threat to students and employees.

Whether or not a situation represents a threat that requires a timely warning will be decided on a case by case basis considering the facts surrounding an incident, such as the nature of the crime, the continuing threat to the campus community and the possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts.. Timely warnings are issued to students, faculty and staff via a campus-wide email and/or the Everbridge Emergency Notification System.

Information included in a timely warning may include:

  • A succinct statement of the incident.
  • Possible connection to previous incidents, if applicable.
  • Physical description of the suspect.
  • Date and time and general location where the incident occurred.
  • Other relevant crime prevention tips and information

If a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees is occurring on campus, CCS is required to follow its emergency notification procedures. If CCS follows its emergency notification procedures, it is not required also to issue a “timely warning” based on the same circumstances; however, CCS will provide adequate follow-up information to the campus community as needed.