The University of North Carolina at Wilmington announced on March 19 that it will conduct a full-volume test of the UNCW Alert emergency notification system at noon on Thursday, March 26. The university said this is only a test and no action is required from the campus or surrounding community.
The routine testing is carried out by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, the UNCW Police Department, and the Office of University Relations. The purpose is to familiarize students, faculty, and staff with emergency notification procedures and to maintain the system.
The UNCW Alert system uses several communication tools during emergencies. These include a warning siren system, campus emails, text messages and calls through UNCWAlert, as well as pop-up notifications on university-owned computers. In addition, the SafeZone app by CriticalArc offers direct access to campus resources and police dispatch for students and employees. Another resource is the UNCW Mobile app, which provides quick access to essential campus information and emergency notifications for all members of the university community.
In an actual emergency situation, some or all of these tools may be used depending on conditions. The university advises everyone to rely only on official messaging during emergencies.
Students, faculty, and staff are automatically registered for emergency texts, calls, and emails. Those who wish to verify or update their contact information can reach out to police@uncw.edu.
Additional resources are available through the UNCW homepage, Alert news page, official social media channels, Emergency and Safety Information page, and University Police.
