Page 26 - Campus Security & Life Safety, November/December 2022

Case Study
"Students are deeply connected to their devices, and with spam texts and calls at an all-time high, the constant influx of notifications often results in critical messages getting lost in the flow of social media updates, junk emails and spam texts."
emails and spam texts. Administrators need to take an extra step to personalize notifications to get them to stand out.
Returning to the example above, if someone receives a generic mes- sage to update their financial aid, odds are high they’ll simply ignore it. On the other hand, sending notifications to only a list of students who have not completed their applications, and addressing them by name, greatly increases the chances of grabbing their attention.
Likewise, if a dorm building needs maintenance, administrators don’t need to alert all 10,000 students on every campus. Recipients will quickly tune out constant, non-relevant messages, ultimately skipping the ones that might impact them personally.
In his search for a better communications platform, Castillo found that targeted, personalized messaging was an important feature.
“If I can send those students a message by name, which may not sound like a big deal, they are much more likely to respond to that than an email that’s gone to everybody,” he said. “Not only are we able to reach specific groups of students, but we can really tailor the noti- fications to that individual.
In addition, he wanted a system that interacted with the college’s existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which man- aged the student database. Any changes to student records should automatically cross-populate, eliminating the need for time-consum- ing manual updates.
Including the “Community” in Community College
One of the things that makes South Plains College special is its con- nection to the community. Its five campuses often host local events, and Castillo has close connections with emergency management coordinators throughout the county.
During severe weather events, South Plains College facilities serve as refuges, housing facilities and coordination centers. In those instances, it was equally critical for Castillo to be able to send multi- channel notifications to community members, as well as students and faculty.
“If it’s an extreme emergency or critical incident, we want to send an email, a text or even a phone call,” he said. “We also push notifica- tions to our social media sites so anyone looking at our Twitter or Facebook will be able to see the latest information.”
Castillo looked for an emergency communications system that would enable him to coordinate with local officials and easily upload spreadsheets with additional contact information. The college also needed the ability to quickly expand their contact list in a crisis so that the broader community could stay informed and safe.
A Comprehensive Critical Communications Solution
At first, Castillo thought South Plains College’s communications require- ments could only be met through a combination of different systems.
“We were trying to meet needs for different departments using our communications tools for various critical information-sharing pur-
poses. Originally, we thought we would need several different plat- forms,” he said. “Then we came across OnSolve, and it really checked all the boxes.”
OnSolve Critical Communications gives South Plains College administrators the tools they need to send important messages in an instant, whether they’re personalized reminders to select groups of stu- dents or mass emergency alerts to the broader community. Multichan- nel alerts sent via phone, email, text and social media ensure critical information reaches recipients where they’re most likely to see it.
Implementation was quick and seamless. Despite the fact they were transitioning from two communications systems to one, the onboarding process went smoothly across campus. Administrators were quickly sending messages—and, more importantly, getting responses.
Castillo has used the platform to perform specialized tasks like active assailant training. He was able to send targeted alerts to select- ed students who participated, allowing them to become familiar with the system that will be used in times of real crisis without alarming those uninvolved in the program.
When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, South Plains Col- lege health officials wanted to offer pop-up clinics. Administrators sent two-way messages to students, gauging interest and determining where the clinics would reach the most people.
Enabling Effective Communications During an Emergency
Perhaps the most striking use of the system was during the Texas Freeze of 2021. A severe snowstorm in February 2021 put Texan infrastructure and response management to the ultimate test. Most of the state lost electricity and water, but South Plains College main- tained power.
Coordinating with emergency responders, South Plains College set up a Warming Station and communicated with local residents via text, calls and email to keep them safe. Castillo uploaded community contacts into the system in just a few minutes to keep everyone aware of the situation.
“Being able to help not only our students and faculty, but also the rest of the community, in a time when they needed us was a great feeling,” he said. “It brought me huge peace of mind to know that we are able to create a sense of trust between us and the community.”
Coordinated Communications for Campus Life and Safety
Although South Plains College is certainly a success story when it comes to campus communications, its needs are not unique. Colleges across the country need ways to effectively reach their students, fac- ulty and community to keep them informed and safe.
Patchwork communications systems and broad, non-specific alerts increase the chances that important information gets lost in a sea of notifications. Targeted, personalized messages are far more likely to grab their attention, saving everything from students’ GPAs to their lives.
Chris Hurst is OnSolve Vice President of Value Engineering, where he is responsible for ensuring OnSolve's technology portfolio continues to anticipate and mitigate dynamic risks and help customers strengthen organizational resilience and remain agile in a world where crises hap- pen every day. Prior to his current role, Hurst co-founded a risk intel- ligence company using machine learning to detect risks to operations and people with greater speed and relevance. He is a former Director of Enterprise Risk Management with Mercy Corps, Army Diver and Proj- ect Manager for large infrastructure projects with extensive experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hurst holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from West Point, an MBA from Harvard and an MPA/ID from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
26 campuslifesecurity.com | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022