In light of both the Virginia Tech shootings and the Brittany Zimmermann murder, UW-Madison officials have implemented the WiscAlert-Text system to warn students of possible emergencies on campus. The new text alert system was also influenced heavily by the lack of communication during the Jesse Miller incident earlier this academic year.

Police and campus officials also discussed when and under what circumstances the new WiscAlert-Text system would be utilized. “The police department would evaluate the situation and determine whether we need to make the community aware of the situation through text, e-mail, voice mail, reverse 911, the WiscAlert website or WiscAlert on Facebook,” Lt. Michael Newton of the University of Wisconsin Police Department said.

Although it took almost eight months after the Jesse Miller incident for campus and police officials to implement this new communication system, WiscAlert is a welcome addition to a campus rife with safety concerns in the past year.

The current system is a free service for students on the WiscAlert list, so there is no excuse for any UW-Madison student with a cell phone not to sign up for this much-needed safety measure. The new WiscAlert-Text service is the first step in a continual effort to ensure the safety of the student body for years to come.