Published: Oct. 21, 2016

Each semester, the campus conducts a test of the CU Boulder Alerts system to raise awareness of the platform and deploy new notification methods. Annual testing of the emergency notification system is required by the Clery Act, a federal law.

The test was originally scheduled for Oct. 5, and was pre-empted by incidents on the campus that day. A woman looks at a message on her phone

Elements of the rescheduled test at noon on Oct. 26 will include the deployment of the Alertus desktop notifications platform and testing of upgrades to the alerts.colorado.edu website

Prior to the test, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to check the accuracy of their contact information in the alerts system.

  • Active CU Boulder student email addresses (@colorado.edu) are automatically registered and the university encourages students to add their mobile phone numbers in order to receive text notifications as well. Students can update this information through MyCUInfo.
  • Faculty, staff or affiliates of the CU Boulder community with an @colorado.edu (or cufund.org, or cu.edu) e-mail address are encouraged to register on a voluntary basis at http://alerts.colorado.edu.
  • Employees who work on campus for another entity (hospitality business, construction company, etc.) and don’t have an @colorado.edu account must have their business leader submit a ticket to the IT Service Center in order to be registered.

CU Boulder Alerts

Fall 2016 Test 

  • Deploy Alertus notification channel
  • Test alerts.colorado.edu upgrades

Spring 2017 Test

  • Test upgrades to Emergency Information Line
  • Test alerts.colorado.edu upgrades
  • Test automatic loading of faculty and staff contact information from HRMS

If an emergency involves a threat to personal safety or a campus closure, a campus alert will be sent using one or all of the communication methods available. Text messaging and desktop pop-ups are the backbone of the system as they reach the most individuals in the least amount of time.

During an emergency that affects the campus, critical updates, additional details, and any necessary instructions regarding the nature of the emergency will be posted at http://alerts.colorado.edu, university social media sites and on the campus Emergency Information Line at 303-492-4636 (303-492-INFO).

Details on the decision process for determining a closure, how administrative leave should be handled for essential personnel and other employees, and answers to questions that frequently arise are covered in “Campus Closing Procedures During Emergencies” located at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/campus-closing-procedures-during-emergencies.

If you have questions regarding emergency management at CU-Boulder please visit the CU-Boulder Office of Emergency Management website or email the team at emergency.management@colorado.edu.

Any user who expected to receive an alert and didn’t, or who needs help signing up for the system, should email the IT Service Center at help@colorado.edu.