News

Coppin State University Boosts Campus Safety
With New Cell Phone Text Alert System

University officials will send emergency information to cell phones of students, faculty & staff

LEESBURG, VA – April 25, 2007 – Omnilert, LLC, maker of the leading mass notification system for higher education called e2Campus, today announced that Coppin State University (CSU) will boost campus safety with the activation of a new cell phone text alert system by e2Campus. CSU is using the new web-based service to instantly push urgent news and emergency information to the cell phones of students, faculty and staff via Short Message Service (SMS) text messages.

Chief Miriam Wood, CSU's Campus Police Chief said, “We have implemented an Emergency Messaging System via mobile text alerts. It is a convenient system for all Coppin State University staff, faculty and students as they can sign up for SMS alerts with the option to receive simultaneous e-mail notification.”

Andrew Bain, Director of Web and Multimedia Development at CSU explains, “Students may not be on a computer checking email or the Web when an emergency hits. They may not be in their dorm room either. And, students can’t answer a phone call or check voicemail during class. To be able to send SMS text messages to students wherever they are, warning them of emergencies is a real break-through in student communication.”

“We completed a thorough analysis of notification products. e2Campus’ winning combination of price and ease of use was a no brainer. Once purchased, we had our account in a half hour and had it live by the end of the week. Every time we send an alert, more students sign up.”

“We initially purchased e2Campus for weather alerts, but now public safety is front and center. Later, we plan to use it in the marketing department for connecting with prospective students. It’s an excellent service with a very supportive staff.”

How It Works
When using e2Campus’ centralized interface, a CSU school official types a message, selects the groups to receive the message, and then presses a button to send it. Within seconds, the message is simultaneously sent to thousands of relevant people via the method each recipient chose to receive it, such as a mobile phone (SMS text message), personal or school email account, RSS feed, wireless PDA, relevant school web pages using the automatic Bulletin Board feature, or “My Yahoo”, AOL, or Personalized Google web page.

About e2Campus
Endorsed by Security On Campus Inc. and used by schools around the country, e2Campus is the Web-based mass notification system that enables school officials to self-administer and send time-sensitive messages for a fraction of the cost and complexity of existing notification solutions. There is no traditional software to install, no hardware to buy and no additional phone lines needed. A school can set up a secure notification system in minutes to send routine, urgent or emergency notifications to their entire campus community or groups, such as multiple campuses, residence halls, staff-only or sports news. e2Campus instantly and simultaneously sends mass alerts to a subscriber's mobile phone (via SMS text message), BlackBerry, smart phone, wireless PDA, text pager, e-mail account and relevant Web page. To learn more, visit www.e2Campus.com online.

About Coppin State University
Founded in 1900, Coppin State University is one of 13 campuses that comprise the University System of Maryland. A historically black liberal arts institution, Coppin State University enrolls approximately 4,300 students and offers more than 24 undergraduate majors, 33 minors, and 11 master’s degree programs in high-need areas such as education, nursing, counseling, and criminal justice. Located in the northwest section of Baltimore, the campus has the unique mission of focusing on the problems, needs, and aspirations of residents of Baltimore City and surrounding areas. A fully accredited urban, residential campus, Coppin serves Baltimore residents as well as students from around the world, with flexible course schedules that include convenient day, evening, and weekend classes.

About Omnilert, LLC
Omnilert, LLC is the leading provider of selective mass communications for sending time-sensitive information to large groups of people. The self-service, Web-based system enables a single person to communicate timely information to thousands of people anywhere, anytime, on any device. It is ideal for announcing school closings, game cancellations, weather warnings, terrorist alerts, and marketing promotions. The system is built around a reliable SMS text messaging system that sends content directly to a mobile phone, as well as an e-mail address, Web page, pager or wired phone. Omnilert Text and Voice solutions are sold under the names e2Campus, Amerilert, RainedOut and through resellers. The privately held company is headquartered in Leesburg, Va., and at http://www.omnilert.com online.