Emergency communication channels
Messiah will communicate with you in a variety of ways during an emergency. Some or all of these communication channels might be used:
Text message alert system- Social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter
- Emergency blog
- Emergency hotline (717-691-6084)
- Website
Clery Act communication
Like all institutions of higher education in the United States, Messiah University must comply with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Crime Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, a law requiring colleges to disclose information about crime on and around their campus. The U.S. Department of Education enforces the Clery Act, part of the broader Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008).
In the event of a substantiated serious safety concern, either on University property or in the near vicinity of the campus, numerous diligent efforts are made to advise members of our Messiah University campus community. Information about such situations is released in one of two ways—either as a Campus Timely Warning Notice or an Emergency Notification. You should expect to receive these notifications primarily via campus email and/or text message alert.
- A Campus Timely Warning Notice notifies students and employees whenever there is a threat that a serious crime is ongoing or may be repeated so that campus community members can protect themselves from harm. Timely Warning Notices are specifically related to compliance with the Clery Act and are required for crimes, including but not limited to robbery, aggravated assault, hate crimes, arson, etc.
- Emergency Notifications notify students and employees in a timely manner when it is determined that there is a “significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health and safety of students or employees occurring on campus.” Emergency notifications would be sent in instances of fires, weather-related situations, water emergencies, train derailments, etc.
- Messiah Alert through the text message alert system, will convey any important information that does not meet the criteria for a Timely Warning Notice or Emergency Notification.
Messiah’s full “Timely Warning Notice” and “Emergency Notification” policies can be found in our University Security & Fire Safety Report.