Emergency Notification

Immediate risk and imminent danger

The institution will immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the safety of the people on campus

The Chief of DePauw Police Department or their designee will gather information and confirm that an emergency or dangerous situation is an imminent threat to the safety of the DePauw community.  The Chief or designee may consult additional resources if needed. Depending on the situation, the Chief or designee may initiate a call-out of the Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT).  If the CIMT team is convened, members of the team will promptly create the appropriate message(s) to alert and instruct the campus community.  If the CIMT team is not convened, the Chief of the Police Department or their designee will create the appropriate message(s).  

The content of notification messages will take into account safety of the community, unless issuing notification will, in the professional judgment of our campus authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency. The Putnam County Emergency Operations Center will assist with issuing any weather-related emergency information such as declarations of Tornado Warnings by the National Weather Service.

What type of instances may initiate an Emergency Notification?

Emergency Notifications will be sent to the community when an imminent threat is perceived to the community. Instances may include severe weather, earthquake, gas leak, terrorist incident, armed intruder, bomb threat, rioting, explosion, a nearby chemical or hazardous waste spill, or public health emergencies.

How are Emergency Notifications Sent? 

Multiple modes of communication for campus notification will be utilized for the alert including SMS text messages via RAVE Alert, Campus e-mail, University website, calling trees, and Campus radio and television stations (when operable). In the event of an approaching tornado the Putnam County 911 Center will activate a warning siren and send an SMS text message from the County Emergency Operations Center. All students are required to provide an emergency telephone number and cellular carrier upon enrollment to facilitate delivery of emergency notification messages. 

Employees that have their information added into ADP will automatically be imported into the RAVE Alert text messaging system.

Communication is also used to alert and disseminate emergency information to local authorities, the surrounding community, parents and other campus constituents. This level of communication includes calling trees, e-mail distribution lists, subscribers to the Rave Alert system, and the University website.

Alert system tests are scheduled at least once each academic year and will be announced in advance.