Accessing the UMass Boston Alert System
What is the UMass Boston Alert System?
The UMass Boston Alert System is a communications service that UMass Boston provides for all students, faculty and staff. It allows university officials to notify the campus community of emergencies via text, voice, and email alerts. This system will be used only in emergencies. It will not be used for routine communications. This service is used in conjunction with other communication channels including public address announcements and campus-wide e-mail. The university provides this valuable service through an independent vendor, RAVE Emergency Notification System.
What means of communication does the system use?
The UMass Boston Alert System will send emergency alerts to all active UMass Boston e-mail accounts. In order to receive text or voice alerts, users must enter cell phone information into the system.
What does it cost?
The university does not charge for the service. However, normal text messaging rates apply.
How often are alerts sent?
Aside from test messages sent during system tests each semester, the system is used only for life-threatening emergencies.
Can my parents or other family members also sign up so they’ll know what’s going on?
At this time, registration for the emergency notification service is offered only to currently-enrolled students, faculty and staff of UMass Boston.
Is it guaranteed to work?
While all of our routine system tests have been successful, no alerting system is completely guaranteed. For that reason, this system is one of a number of different means of notification that the university intends to use in an emergency. Other means of notification include loudspeaker, broadcast email, voicemail messaging, television monitor, and flyer notification.
Will my personal contact information be kept private by the university and the RAVE Emergency Notidication System?
Your information will be kept confidential and used only for the emergency notification process.
I've never received a message on my cell phone. Can you tell me why?
If you haven't entered your information into the system using the UMass Boston Alert portal, you won't receive text or phone alerts. If you have entered this information and still have never received a test message, please email a.mclaughlin@umb.edu.
I graduated from UMass Boston and don't want to receive text alerts on my cell phone anymore. How can I remove my information?
Removing your information is as easy as entering it. Simply return to the portal screen, sign in and remove your cell phone information from the system.
Click here to access the UMass Boston Alert System and enter your information. If you have any questions, please email a.mclaughlin@umb.edu.
What is the system used for?
The UMass Boston Alert System is used to broadcast urgent messages to the entire campus or to selected groups on campus. It is not used for contacting individual people for emergencies applying only to them.
Who sends out these messages?
Members of the Department of Public Safety, Emergency Management and Communications Office have the authority and ability to send out emergency notification messages.
How will the system contact me?
By text message, phone call, and/or email. The sender determines how the message will be sent.
What is my username?
Your username is the part of your email address that precedes @umb.edu.
The username for email address Sam.Lee@umb.edu is Sam.Lee.
How do I get the system to call my cell phone number?
Go to the My Account tab, then to Mobile Contacts.
To add a cell phone number, click Add and type in the information.
To change a cell phone number, click Edit, type in the correction and hit Continue to complete the registration.
The normal delivery for cell phones is via text messaging. For voice and text, click the Enable Voice Message Delivery checkbox adjacent to the phone. We do not recommend that you select the voice only message option to a cell phone but you can do so by adding the cell phone number to the Voice Only Line Contacts.
The system will send out a test message with a 4-digit confirmation code to your primary cell phone and you should revisit the My Account tab to complete the confirmation. However, whether you confirm or not, the system will send out emergency messages to your listed cell phone number.
How do I get the system to email me at another address instead of my campus email?
You can tell the system what is your preferred email address.Go to the My Account tab, then Email Contacts, enter the email address and check it as the preferred.
Why am I not showing up on the system?
The UMass Boston Alert System notifies students currently taking classes. That means if you are not taking summer classes you will not be listed as active in the UMass Boston Alert System. Each semester after Add/Drop the system is updated.
