CUNY A!ERT

CUNY has worked with the State Emergency Management Office to utilize the state’s all-hazards alert and notification system, NY-Alert, for use by all the CUNY campuses.

Depending upon the severity of the incident, CUNY A!ert messages can range from specific instructions to general warnings. These notifications will be sent to members of the campus community who have signed up for CUNY A!ert. Messages can be received via cell phone (text and/or voice), land-line telephone and e-mail. You must “opt in” to receive alerts, and you can choose your preferred format(s) to receive the messages.

How Do I Sign Up?

Enrolled students (including continuing education students), staff, faculty and other members of the campus community are eligible to sign up for CUNY A!ert. You will be asked to provide at least one e-mail address. You may also include a cell phone number and a provider to receive text message alerts and a phone number, either cell or land line, to receive voice alerts. You may list one phone number for each of these options, but you should be aware that the alert system will attempt to contact every number you list. Therefore, we advise that you list your preferred number for text messaging and/or voice messages. We suggest that you avoid using a CUNY phone number so that you can be reached at all times.

Once you complete your registration, there is a 24- to 48-hour time period required to validate your registration and activate your account to receive alerts.

What Are the Benefits of CUNY A!ert?

The CUNY A!ert system:

• provides a secure, Web-based emergency alert system for the entire CUNY campus system,
• allows you to select the way you want to be contacted with emergency notifications, and
• is available to you even if you are presently registered with another emergency notification system.

What Types of Emergency Messages Might I Receive?

Primarily, you may receive messages for emergency events, such as:

• Weather—severe weather conditions (e.g., include flooding, snow/ice/cold, thunderstorms, wind, tornados, hurricanes)
• Fire—fire to building(s), wildfires, local community or industry that endangers a campus
• Bomb Threat / Suspicious Package—based on intelligence that indicates the threat is credible
• Civil Disturbance—large group disrupting normal campus activities
• Hazardous Material—dangerous or hazardous material incident that may pose a risk to the college community
• Major Road Closing / Off-campus Incident—unanticipated external event that would disrupt safe passage to and from a campus
• Medical Emergency—epidemic or event with mass casualties
• Personal Safety—situations that include use of weapons, violence, perpetrator(s) at large, active shooter, hostage situation or missing persons; any situation on or off campus that constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat to person or property
• Utility Failure—a major disruption or damage to utilities (e.g., gas, electricity or water)