UB
Emergency Notifications and Timely Warnings
The University at Buffalo's official emergency notification system, UB Alert, is used to notify students, faculty and staff of immediate threats; per the Emergency Notifications and Timely Warnings page, "A 'UB Alert' is immediately issued unless it is determined by the police that such immediate notification could compromise efforts to assist the victims or otherwise negatively impact the emergency." Separately, University Police issue Clery timely warnings for crimes that pose a serious or continuing threat.
Read the official policyInstitution
University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Public R1 · NY
~30,558 studentsUB Alert
In the policy’s own words
What the policy says
UB Alert immediate-issuance standard and exceptionverbatim
A "UB Alert" is immediately issued unless it is determined by the police that such immediate notification could compromise efforts to assist the victims or otherwise negatively impact the emergency.
- — States the default-to-immediate activation rule and the sole exception, which is vested in the police, tracking the Clery emergency-notification standard.
Emergency notification channelsverbatim
The university will deliver emergency notifications and timely warnings using some or all of the following channels: Messages to all students, faculty and staff through their buffalo.edu email account. Messages to students, faculty and staff who have registered an alternative email address in the UB Alert service. Text messages to students, faculty and staff who have registered cell phones in the UB Alert service.
- — Specifies the primary channels: universal buffalo.edu email plus registered alternative email and registered cell phones.
Timely warning trigger (serious or continuing threat)verbatim
The University Police Department issues timely warnings to the university community of reported crimes that pose a serious or continuing threat to the university community, in order to enable individuals to take precautions to protect themselves and prevent similar crimes from occurring.
- — Sets the Clery timely-warning standard and vests issuance in the University Police Department.
Semester testing commitmentverbatim
Each semester, UB will test our messaging network to ensure proper operation and functionality in the event of an actual emergency or critical message broadcast.
- — Documents the per-semester testing cadence for the UB Alert messaging network.
At a glance
How this policy works
- When it activates
- A UB Alert is immediately issued unless police determine that immediate notification could compromise efforts to assist victims or otherwise negatively impact the emergency. UB Alert covers immediate threats, safety incidents, major utility interruptions, and severe weather events that threaten public safety or impact university operations. Clery timely warnings are issued for reported crimes that pose a serious or continuing threat to the university community.
- Who decides
- Police determine whether immediate UB Alert notification should be delayed (the only stated exception). For timely warnings, the University Police Department issues them on a case-by-case basis in compliance with the Clery Act and considering all available facts.
- Timeliness standard
- A UB Alert is 'immediately issued' (subject to the police-judgment exception). Timely warnings are 'issued as soon as possible,' with timing based on whether the crime is a serious or continuing threat to students.
- Emergency notification vs. timely warning
- Two-track Clery model: UB Alert emergency notifications (immediate, for significant emergencies/dangerous situations) versus Clery timely warnings issued by University Police for crimes posing a serious or continuing threat. Governed by UB's Clery and Campus SaVE Act Compliance Policy.
- Testing cadence
- Each semester (twice a year): 'Each semester, UB will test our messaging network to ensure proper operation and functionality in the event of an actual emergency or critical message broadcast.'
- Scope & limits
- Email notifications reach all students, faculty and staff via buffalo.edu accounts; text and alternative-email alerts require registration in the UB Alert service. An opt-out form exists for email emergency notifications. Timely warnings withhold victims' names and identifying information as strictly confidential.
ChannelsSmsEmailWebsiteTwitter XFacebookPush NotificationPhone Call
Analysis
Reading the policy
The University at Buffalo runs a two-track Clery communications model anchored by the branded UB Alert emergency notification system. On the emergency-notification track, UB's Emergency Notifications and Timely Warnings page states the activation standard plainly: "A 'UB Alert' is immediately issued unless it is determined by the police that such immediate notification could compromise efforts to assist the victims or otherwise negatively impact the emergency." This mirrors the Clery Act's emergency-notification exception, vesting the judgment to delay in the police and otherwise defaulting to immediate issuance. UB Alert provides updates "during emergencies, safety incidents, major utility interruptions and severe weather events that threaten public safety or impact the university's operations."
UB delivers emergency notifications and timely warnings through a deliberately redundant set of channels. The university says it will use "some or all" of: messages to all students, faculty and staff through their buffalo.edu email account; messages to those who have registered an alternative email in the UB Alert service; and text messages to those who have registered cell phones in the UB Alert service. Emergency messaging is also pushed through official campus channels including the website (emergency.buffalo.edu), the campus-wide UB Alert listserv, UB's home page, the MyUB portal, UB Now, 716-645-NEWS, the UB Guardian app, the UB Alert X (formerly Twitter) feed and UB Facebook pages, with local television and radio stations contacted as needed.
The slower track is the Clery timely warning, issued by the University Police Department "to the university community of reported crimes that pose a serious or continuing threat to the university community, in order to enable individuals to take precautions to protect themselves and prevent similar crimes from occurring." UB describes the decision as case-by-case: "The decision to issue a timely warning shall be decided on a case-by-case basis in compliance with the Act and considering all available facts," with timing "based upon whether the crime is considered a serious or continuing threat to students." Timely warnings are "issued as soon as possible" and "always withhold the names of victims and treat any identifying information about the victim as strictly confidential." UB frames all of this under its Clery and Campus SaVE Act Compliance Policy.
On testing, UB commits to a per-semester cadence: "Each semester, UB will test our messaging network to ensure proper operation and functionality in the event of an actual emergency or critical message broadcast." On scope, UB Alert reaches the registered campus community; while text/alternative-email registration is opt-in, the university maintains an opt-out form for the core email notifications, and the layered channels (listserv, website, social, app) extend reach beyond individually registered contacts.
Takeaways
Key findings
UB Alert is 'immediately issued unless it is determined by the police that such immediate notification could compromise efforts to assist the victims or otherwise negatively impact the emergency.'
Emergency notifications reach all students, faculty and staff via buffalo.edu email, plus registered alternative emails and registered cell phones, with additional push through the website, UB Alert listserv, MyUB, UB Now, 716-645-NEWS, the UB Guardian app, X and Facebook.
Clery timely warnings are issued by the University Police Department for crimes posing a serious or continuing threat, on a case-by-case basis and 'as soon as possible.'
Timely warnings always withhold victims' names and treat identifying information as strictly confidential.
UB tests its messaging network each semester to verify functionality.
Policy, meet practice
When this system actually fired
4 documented times UB’s alert system was used, from the case archive.
Provenance
Sources
- Official
- Official
- Clery ASR
- Official
- Official
Tags
policyemergency-notificationtimely-warningub-alertuniversity-at-buffalosunyclery
Added 2026-06-21Updated 2026-06-21Via ingestion