Norse A!ert
NKU Emergency Contact System
Providing a safe and secure environment for our students, faculty and staff is a top priority at Northern Kentucky University. In light of the tragic situations at Virginia Tech and other colleges, the University has partnered with First Call to create NORSE A!ERT, which will contact members of the campus community through voice and text messages in the event of an emergency situation or campus closing.
NORSE A!ERT will provide NKU with another communication tool to keep students, faculty and staff informed during threatening situations and weather-related closings. In order to receive voice and text messages, you must provide your land and/or cell phone number to the University by signing up online. For more information on how to subscribe to NORSE A!ERT click here.
NORSE A!ERT will be activated when the University determines that a serious threat exists and the campus community must take immediate action to remain safe and secure. The system will also be used to announce any unscheduled University closing or cancellation of classes due to severe weather. You will not receive any promotional calls or text messages through NORSE A!ERT.
NORSE A!ERT will make up to three attempts to call each phone number in the call distribution list. For those phone numbers not reached because of a busy signal or no answer, the system will make up to two additional attempts. Once a call is answered by a human or voice mail, the system will not call that phone number again. It is a voice-activated system, so those who answer must say something when the call is received for the message to begin. Text messages will only be sent once.
Calls will come from Baton Rouge, Louisiana which is where the vendor, First Call, is located.
There is no cost to sign up for this notification service. Whenever the system sends a message to your personal phone, you are responsible for any charges from your phone service provider associated with receiving voice or text messages.
In addition to NORSE A!ERT, the University will continue to use its well-established communications methods including:
- Campus sirens and speakers
- The Northern Kentucky University web site (www.nku.edu).
- Campus broadcast e-mails and voice messages.
- The university/weather closings hotline (859) 572-6165 or 6166.
- Local media. WNKU (89.7 FM) will have the most complete and timely announcements about the University's status during questionable weather conditions although information will be provided to all area radio and television stations.