On Thursday, May 3, between noon and 12:30 p.m., the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) will conduct a test of the campus AlertSU system. Alert messages will be sent via text message and email to the Stanford community.

The test will also include activation of the outdoor warning system, which will sound an audible tone for about 60 seconds, followed by a verbal message from each of the seven sirens located throughout campus. The sirens will be audible throughout the campus and may also be heard in parts of Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Los Altos.

Also being tested are the Cisco VoIP speaker phones. VoIP speaker phones are found in many of the academic and office buildings throughout campus. For campus community members with a Cisco phone, the AlertSU message will broadcast from the speaker phone, and a banner message will appear in the display.

In the test message, recipients will be asked to click a link to acknowledge or confirm that the message has been received. This is an important step that will help SUDPS monitor the success of this test. Members of the campus community need only acknowledge one of the messages should they receive both a text and email.

Prior to the test, members of the campus community are asked to verify that their contact information is correct in Axess. Make sure there is an entry in the mobile phone field because this is the most rapid and direct way of communication during an emergency.

Additionally, campus community members are asked to program the following information into mobile phone and email contacts.

  • Text phone number/SMS Short Code: 89361
  • Email Address: alertsudps@lists.stanford.edu
  • Phone Number: 650-725-5555

For frequently asked AlertSU questions, visit the SUDPS website or email the department at alertsudps@stanford.edu.