New Mass Emergency Notification System Launching

San Diego State University has transitioned to a new, mass emergency notification system, AppArmor, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve emergency preparedness and response.   

Used by higher education institutions and both local and state and emergency response groups across the U.S., AppArmor is designed to enhance SDSU’s ability to quickly communicate with students, faculty, staff and system subscribers in the event of an emergency on or near campus.   

“We prioritize safety and readiness on our campus, and the new emergency notification system enhances our existing safety and response tools,” said Chief of Police Josh Mays. “With this new system, our university is expanding its ability to provide quick and effective communications at times when we may have only minutes or seconds to respond in a situation.”   

The AppArmor system will launch at SDSU on Oct. 1. In preparation, SDSU scheduled non-emergency email, text and telephone messages through the system on Thursday, Sept. 30. During the testing, students, faculty, staff and also subscribers receive non-emergency text and email notifications to the mobile phone numbers and emails on file with the university. If you have any issues or need support, email [email protected].  

“Adopting contemporary communications systems and innovative solutions that allow for swift and effective emergency communications is a mission critical imperative,” said Jerry Sheehan, vice president for information technology.   

All students, employees, parents and families and other community members should ensure that their information is current by doing the following: 

• Students should ensure that their contact information, including mobile phone numbers and their current local address, is up to date via WebPortal. Students can also choose to opt-in to receive non-emergency outreach and resource messages. To do so, students should select the opt-in box after logging into WebPortal. 
• Faculty and staff (except auxiliary employees; see details below) should ensure that their mobile phone number is updated via SDSU PeopleSoft. Once logged in, click the drop down main menu, click “Self Service,” then “Personal Information.” You can update your contact information on the “Personal Summary Information” page by clicking “Change Phone Numbers.” From the drop down menu, select “Mobile” and add your number in the “Telephone” field. Click “Save,” then the “OK” button before exiting. 
• Auxiliary employees (SDSU Research Foundation, Aztec Shops and Associated Students employees) should use the online form to update their personal information, and also to provide consent to receive important outreach messages from SDSU.  

Parents, relatives, vendors and other members of the community can also sign up to receive notifications, using the SDSU Alert portal. Individuals will need to create an SDSU Alert account using their email identification. After creating and verifying the account via email, follow the instructions for sharing your contact information.

In addition to sending notifications via text and email, SDSU Urgent serves as the university’s centrally-located website for information during active emergencies. The university may also communicate other health and safety-related information through AppArmor, and will test the system periodically.