Policy

The Board of Trustees delegates authority to the President to communicate quickly and effectively with students, staff and visitors consistent with emergency communication procedures.

Person(s) authorized to communicate to the community are: President or designee, Director of Public Safety, Public Safety Tour Commander, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications or designee, Director of Online Communications/Web Administrator, Director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Authorized individuals will determine if sufficient and accurate information exists to warrant the issuance of an alert, message or posting.

The emergency notification procedures will be used in the event of a life threatening situations/acts of imminent or possible danger, weather related campus closings or delays, natural disaster (blizzard, hurricane, ice storm, earthquake, flood, etc.), man-made disaster (fire, chemical spill or release, etc.), hostile intruder or person that represents a danger to the community, messages disseminating information that mitigates concern or potential for rumor (Timely Information), messages for compliance with Cleary Act (Timely Warnings), other situations as determined by the President or President’s Cabinet.

Reason for Policy

To clarify emergency notification policy and procedures.

To Whom Does the Policy Apply

All students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Related Documents

Emergency Preparedness Plan Section III Communication Policy and Procedure
Procedure

Contacts

Director of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity
(201) 684-6803

The Board of Trustees delegates authority to the President to communicate quickly and effectively with students, faculty, staff and visitors consistent with emergency communication procedures.

Criteria

The following criteria shall guide the College in providing notification for emergency/informational messages. To ensure timely and accurate dissemination of the message(s) and to reach as many as possible, messages will be sent to all registered participants via all communication media contact points (i.e. voice, text, email, social media (facebook, twitter), emergency preparedness website, campus communications, Luminis portal sites and home page) unless otherwise noted below.

Types of events that could invoke the notification procedure:

1. Life Threatening Situation/Acts of Imminent Danger: The Public Safety Tour Commander on duty will issue the Alert Me Now message immediately. At a point during the emergency (determined by the Director of Public Safety), the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Communications and Public Relations or designee will be responsible for sending updates to the community.
2. Weather: The Public Safety Tour Commander on duty will send an alert to the Snow group in the alert system. The Public Safety Tour Commander will contact the AVP of Communication and Public Relations and the Associate Director of Web/Digital Marketing, Web Administrator. The AVP of Communication and Public Relations or VP of Institutional Advancement will provide content to the Associate Director of Web/Digital Marketing, Web Administrator or designee who will send out an Alert Me Now message to registered participants. Weather alerts issued Monday through Saturday will be sent through all communication points. Those issued on Sunday will be sent via email (other communication media may be used).
3. Non Life Threatening Situations (Timely Information- message disseminating information that mitigates concern or potential for rumors): The AVP of Communication and Public Relations or VP of Institutional Advancement will provide content to the Associate Director of Web/Digital Marketing, Web Administrator or designee who will send out an Alert Me Now message to registered participants.
4. Timely Warnings for compliance with Clery Act: in consultation with the Director or Public Safety or designee, the Public Safety Tour Commander on duty will be responsible for sending the message and determining the appropriate communication media.

Communication Media

Depending on the severity of the event, all or some of these communication mediums may be used. The AVP of Communications and Public Relations will work in concert with the subject matter experts to identify the content of the message. Pre-scripted and blank templates are available for use. In all cases, the date and time must be included.

1. Notification methods.
   1. Those authorized to issue emergency/informational alerts will use all or a combination of the methods listed below:
   • Alert Me Now
   • Voice mail
   • Text
   • Email
   • Flyers
   • Digital display
   • RCNJ radio and cable station
   • Local media
   • Social media (i.e Facebook and Twitter)
   • Emergency website
   • Homepage
   • Information line (201-236-2902)
   • Ramapo Self Service
2. Emergency alert communication system.
   Applicability: The Alert Me Now System is used when an event threatens the health and safety of community members.Examples include:
   1. Weather related campus closings or delays.
   2. Natural disaster (such as blizzard, hurricane, ice storm, earthquake, flood, etc.).
   3. Man-made disaster (fire, chemical spill or release, etc.).
   4. Hostile intruder or person that represents a danger to the community.
   5. Timely warnings (in certain cases where imminent danger is possible).
   6. Other situations as determined by the President’s Cabinet or designee.

   Emergency messages will be sent using the Alert Me Now portal. In the event the portal cannot be reached, the 888 number is available as a redundant solution to send messages. Authorized senders have the discretion to use the 888 number if the portal is neither available nor reachable.

   Note: Alert Me Now will not be used for:

   • Routine campus announcements/news.
   • Street or parking lot closings (unless they are related to an emergency).
   • Dissemination of other routine information.

Authority and Responsibility: The following people have the authority to activate the emergency/informational communication procedures:

• President or designee;
• Director of Public Safety or designee;
• Public Safety Tour Commander;
• Assistant Vice President for Communications and Public Relations or designee;
• Director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Prior to sending an alert, consultation is expected among the appropriate College officials available at the time of the incident. Exception: The Tour Commander on duty in the Office of Public Safety may issue alerts without prior consultation with the individuals listed above for emergency and/or in-progress life-threatening situations.