Students weigh in on selective BU alerts

Boston University students expressed mixed reviews about who the BU Alert System notifies about isolated incidents.

BU officials alert students about incidents that affect them, though only some alerts are broadcast to the entire campus, said said Peter Fiedler, vice president for administrative services.

Other alerts only go out to students who live in the area in which the incident occurred, Fiedler said, as was the case after the incident reported in Warren Towers Saturday afternoon.

A BU alert notified Warren residents of an incident that occurred at about 6:35 p.m. The alert reported that a female Boston University student was touched inappropriately as she exited an elevator in Fairfield “A” Tower.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said no arrest has been made. Police are continuing to investigate.

Fiedler said in some cases it is more efficient to target a specific audience and send messages to some students.

“We’ve determined that probably the best way to use the system is not only have it available full broadcasts all over the entire campus, but there are times when everybody doesn’t need to know everything that’s going on,” Fiedler said.

Officials can choose which residents get notified, based on where they live, and the medium through which they receive it, Fiedler said.

Several students who live outside of Warren said they were not aware of the incident or the fact that the perpetrator remains loose.

Jaqueline Hotz, a School of Management and College of Arts and Sciences junior who resides in West Campus, said she was not aware of Saturday’s episode.

“If someone was violated like that, I feel like everyone should know that something is going on,” she said.

Brian Latimer, a College of Communication freshman who resides in Warren Towers, said he believes the incident on Saturday should have been broadcast to the entire campus because it pertains to the safety of all students.

“People shouldn’t have to find out through the grapevine,” he said. “It does not reach everybody. I had to inform my friend [who lives in Danielsen Hall] that it happened, and I feel that is the BUPD’s responsibility.”

Riley said notifications reach students more quickly when they are sent to a smaller group.

Fiedler said students who are not residents of Warren but visit the dining hall or study lounges would likely hear about the incident from those who are.

“If you’re sitting at a table, there’s probably a high likelihood that there’s a bunch of Warren residents who are sitting down with them,” he said. “If you’re a resident of 700 [Commonwealth Ave.] and I’m not, and you get the text message, you’re going to talk to me about it.”

BUPD Chief Thomas Robbins said sending notifications to a selective group of students, rather than sending about 40,000 messages about an incident such as the one reported Sunday “defeats the purpose” of the system’s technological capacity.

Robbins noted the possibility of false leads in incidents that may not affect the entire campus. Officers could run the risk of getting calls from someone farther away about a person who fits the suspect description.

“The best thing to do is localize, notify people who might be affected in that area and in a short amount of time, get out that message quickly,” he said.

The alert system was created following the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007, Fiedler said. BU President Robert Brown convened a task force to examine how students could be protected against such an incident.

BU implemented the alert system by Fall 2007, Fiedler said. In its current state, the alert system broadcasts emergency notifications to BU affiliates via text message, voicemail, email and television.

The alert is tested annually in October, as required by the Clery Act.

“It really is the most efficient and effective way of contacting a large group of people quickly,” Fiedler said.

Fiedler said the system that should send alerts when “absolutely justified,” otherwise the system could have the effect of spam.

Erica Trimboli, a School of Education sophomore, said she does not reside in Warren Towers and did not hear about the incident. She said she feels she was not too affected by not hearing about the incident.

“I feel like if you notify everyone about every incident that happens in every building, there’s going to be a lot of emergency alerts,” she said.

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Jeehoon Jun said he received a notification about the death of Kanagala Seshadri Rao, a BU graduate student, but not about the incident in Warren Towers. While he is not a resident, he said he would like to have been notified.

“It’s effective to let students know what happened after the incident,” he said. “I think they should send alerts to everyone on campus. A girl living in Danielsen might be facing dangers in Warren.”