Messiah

Policy and Procedures for Issuing a Campus Timely Warning Notice or an Emergency Notification

PAStandalone policyMessiah text alert service / Safe Connecthigh confidence

Messiah University's published timely-warning and emergency-notification policy PDF names a seven-person Decision Team, gives the Crisis Controller sole direction in extreme emergencies, and lists local channels including Safe Connect, messiah911.wordpress.com, and coordination with Upper Allen Police Department (UAPD).

Read the official policy

Institution

Messiah University

Private Masters · PA

~3,300 studentsMessiah emergency alert / text alert service

In the policy’s own words

What the policy says

Decision Team two-person rule and Crisis Controllerverbatim

The decision to issue a Campus Timely Warning Notice is made in coordination and consultation by at least two of the following personnel from the Decision Team. In an extreme emergency, the notification process will be implemented at the sole direction of the College's Crisis Controller or alternate.

Local Decision Team process plus Crisis Controller sole direction.

Messiah CTWN/EN policy PDF - Decision to Issue CTWN

Named Decision Team officesverbatim

Decision Team: VP for Operations Vice President for Human Resources and Compliance Vice-Provost/Dean of Students Executive Director of Marketing & Communications Director of Safety & Dispatch Services Associate Dean of Students Director of Communications

Seven named Messiah offices on the Decision Team.

Messiah CTWN/EN policy PDF - Decision Team list

Local channels including Safe Connect and messiah911verbatim

Messiah College will use one or more of the following means:  electronic mail messages  text messaging to cell phones of those enrolled in the College's text message alert service  Safe Connect Access Control system - messages through the use of college's computer network system  emergency blog (http://messiah911.wordpress.com)  emergency website (www.messiah.edu/emergency)  Department of Safety web site  public announcements  public address system (mega phones)  postings and signage in residence halls and other highly visible locations throughout campus including staff/faculty lounges  Other methods deemed necessary that may be used in the information dissemination process. The method or methods used will depend on the severity, location, and type of incident and the ongoing nature of th

Branded local channels: Safe Connect, messiah911 blog, messiah.edu/emergency.

Messiah CTWN/EN policy PDF - how CTWNs are issued

UAPD handoff to Department of Safetyverbatim

If a crime is reported directly to UAPD that could pose a serious or ongoing threat to the Messiah College community, a representative of UAPD will notify Department of Safety as soon as practicable about the crime and will provide sufficient detail to allow the Department of Safety to assess the crime and determine if a Timely Warning Notice should be distributed to the Messiah College community.

Institution-specific coordination with Upper Allen Police Department (UAPD).

Messiah CTWN/EN policy PDF - local police coordination

At a glance

How this policy works

When it activates: CTWN for Clery crimes or other serious/continuing threats on Clery geography; EN for significant emergency or dangerous situation involving immediate threat to health or safety of students or employees on campus (examples include fire, weather, active shooter, gas leak).
Who decides: At least two personnel from the Decision Team (VP for Operations; VP for Human Resources and Compliance; Vice-Provost/Dean of Students; Executive Director of Marketing and Communications; Director of Safety and Dispatch Services; Associate Dean of Students; Director of Communications). Extreme emergency: sole direction of the College's Crisis Controller or alternate.
Timeliness standard: CTWN as soon as pertinent information is available; Decision Team convenes without delay for emergencies requiring immediate response; EN without delay unless notification would compromise victim assistance or mitigation.
Emergency notification vs. timely warning: Explicit Campus Timely Warning Notice vs Emergency Notification split with Clery crime list and CSA reporting path; pastoral/professional counselors exempted as confidential.
Testing cadence: Not specified in the policy PDF reviewed.
Scope & limits: CTWN will not include information that would identify the victim; EN may contain only information reasonably necessary to promote safety.

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Analysis

Reading the policy

Messiah University (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; the PDF still uses the Messiah College name in places) publishes a dedicated CTWN/EN procedures PDF. Institution-specific content includes a named Decision Team of seven offices, Crisis Controller sole-direction authority in extreme emergencies, Safe Connect network messaging, the messiah911 emergency blog, www.messiah.edu/emergency, and a written handoff with UAPD when crimes are reported first to local police. The document separates Campus Timely Warning Notices from Emergency Notifications, requires at least two Decision Team members for ordinary decisions, and spells out CTWN content elements (crime title, release time, incident time/location, description, safety tips, tip line) while barring victim-identifying information.

Takeaways

Key findings

Seven-office Decision Team; ordinary decisions require at least two members.

Crisis Controller (or alternate) has sole direction in extreme emergencies.

Channels include Safe Connect, messiah911.wordpress.com, and messiah.edu/emergency.

Policy documents UAPD-to-Department-of-Safety handoff for off-first crime reports.

Provenance

Sources

Official
Policy and Procedures for Issuing a Campus Timely Warning Notice or an Emergency Notification - Messiah
messiah.edu
archived copy