Carnegie Mellon University

CMU-Alert Frequently Asked Questions

CMU-Alert is Carnegie Mellon's emergency notification service used to communicate important information during an emergency. The service uses multiple methods of communication to ensure our campus and community are notified during an emergency situation.

The previous CMU-Alert was a subscription service for faculty and staff. Students are automatically enrolled in CMU-Alert through Student Information Online (SIO). Faculty and staff that did not subscribe to CMU-Alert were not receiving important messages. With technology integration capabilities now available through Workday, faculty and staff that provide their contact information through Workday will not have to worry about providing the same data in another location.

Yes, you will need to make sure that your work and personal contact information in Workday is correct. Update Personal Contact Information Guide.

To correct or update your work contact information, please work with your Department Initiator. Students should make sure their contact information is accurate in the SIO system.

To ensure that you receive text communications to you mobile device, select “Mobile” in the drop down field associated with your mobile phone in Workday.  

Yes, you can opt out your personal contact information.

While discouraged, faculty and staff will have the ability to opt out of receiving emergency alerts to their mobile and/or other personal phone numbers by following the he instructions provided in this Workday Quick Guide - Unsubscribe from CMU-Alert in Workday Quick Guide [pdf].

Students will continue to have the ability to opt out via the SIO’s “Edit CMU-Alert Emergency Notifications” link.

CMU-Alert will use work email and office phone information as well as personal phone information provided via Workday for voice and text alert messages.

CMU-Alert messages are also posted to www.cmu.edu/alert, and the university’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

CMU-Alert messages will come from cmu-alert@andrew.cmu.edu and from 412-268-2578 (ALRT). You can enter this information into your mobile device to create a contact and avoid confusion and concerns with spam communications. Alert messages will also be posted to www.cmu.edu/alert.

Yes, you can opt out of any personal phone contact information.

No.

Yes. It is called Rave Guardian and can be downloaded for free from the Google Play and iPhone stores. The app will be available on August 1st with additional details forthcoming.

Yes. You can do so at any time.

Parents, visitors, and members of the community that do not have an Andrew ID can sign up for CMU-Alert notifications by texting the word VISITORS to 67283. You can cancel at any time by texting STOP VISITORS to 67283.

CMU-Alert will be tested periodically throughout the year as well as during emergency situations. Test messages will be clearly labeled as such.

Any questions not answered here can be directed to cmu-alert@andrew.cmu.edu.