Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is ISU Alerts?

ISU Alerts is an emergency notification system for quickly delivering phone, text and email messages to Idaho State University students, faculty and staff when there is an emergency.

What kind of notifications will you send, and when?

The ISU Alerts system will be used to notify students, faculty and staff of unforeseen events and emergencies on campus, such as:

• Severe Weather
• Campus closures
• Evacuations
• Critical Situations
• Serious Crimes

The system will be activated when there are immediate threats to the health or safety of those in the university community. Notifications will be sent via landline phones, cell phones, text messages and email.

ISU Alerts complements other forms of emergency notification, such as the siren system, public address systems, university website, university Facebook, and university Twitter.

Who decides when the emergency warrants sending out an ISU Alert?

The ISU Alerts emergency notification system will be activated by the direction of the Director of Public Safety or his designee at such time confirmation is made that an emergency event has occurred or is about to occur on campus.

How fast will the emergency notification get to me?

The speed of the message will vary with the size of the audience, network congestion, and time of day. The goal is to deliver a message to everyone as soon as possible.

How many messages will I receive during a single emergency?

You will receive one message by each of the notification methods for which you have provided information for ISU Alerts. If you provide information for all three notification methods, you'll receive a telephone message, a text message and an email notification.

If I sign up, am I guaranteed to receive messages in an emergency?

Message delivery is dependent on many factors, including our local phone carrier networks. Depending on the nature and scale of the emergency, message delivery may be unavailable or delayed. SMS text messages can become lost or slow during busy times, so we encourage you to enter at least one voice messaging contact.

Signing up, updating your info

How do I sign up to receive emergency messages?

Email address for most students and employees will be added to the ISU Alerts system.

To ensure you will be notified in an emergency, log in to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System, under ISU Alerts. Verify your information, making sure to add the cell phone numbers and email addresses you want notified.

Why do you need so much contact information?

In an emergency, we will use all available contact information to try to reach you. The more information you provide, the more likely you will get the message.

My contact information changed. How can I update it?

To make changes: log in to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System, under ISU Alerts. Verify your information, making sure to add the cell phone numbers and email addresses you want notified.

Can I stop the notifications if I don't want them?

You can opt out of all notifications except to your official University email address. To opt out, log in to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System and delete your mobile phone information, and other contact methods you would like to stop receiving notifications.

Does changing my contact information for ISU Alerts also change my official contact information with Idaho State University?

Your official contact information will not be changed by your participation in ISU Alerts. Your official records can be updated in BengalWeb in an area separate from the ISU Alerts system.

How long will I be signed up for ISU Alerts?

You will be signed up as long as you are an active student or employee of the University (Students may receive messages up to one semester following graduation.)

You will be reminded to review your contact information and preferences once a year.

Can parents sign up to receive emergency messages?

Students can add their parents contact information to their ISU Alerts account. To do so, log in to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System under ISU Alerts and add their information.

Text Messages

How do I sign up to receive text messages?

Log in to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System. Verify your information, making sure to add the cell phone numbers you want notified.

I didn't receive a text message on my cell phone from ISU Alerts. Why?

You can sign up to SMS text messaging notifications by providing a text-enabled phone number. Just go to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System. Add the cell phone number you want notified.

I signed-up to receive text alerts. Why haven't I received a confirmation message?

Please check with you mobile phone provider to find out if your device accepts text messages. You may also want to check with your provider to see if text messaging has been enabled. You may need to subscribe to a text messaging plan in order to receive or reply to text messages.

I do not want to receive text messages. What do I do?

Just go to BengalWeb and select ISU Emergency Notification System. Delete the cell phone numbers you no longer want notified.

If I change my mobile phone providers but keep the same number, do I need to opt-in again?

No. Once your phone number has been opted-in, it stays registered with the system.

Am I charged my normal texting fees?

Yes. You will be charged according to the plan in place with your system provider.

Phone Voice Alerts

My telephone is forwarded to somewhere or someone else. How do I get the alert?

ISU Alerts will follow your forwarding path.

What happens if my phone is busy when an alert is sent?

ISU Alerts will disconnect and will retry your phone.

What if I have voice mail or an answering machine?

ISU Alerts will attempt to leave a message on the voice mail system or the answering machine.

What number will show up on my caller I.D. when an emergency message is coming in?

(208)282-3936

Email alerts

What email address will show when an emergency is incoming?

The message will come from emergency@isu.edu.

I received an email from emergenc@isu.edu, but I never signed up. Why?

As a student or employee of the University, you are automatically signed up to receive notifications through your official University e-mail.

My email notifications are being filtered as SPAM. What do I do?

You need to add emergency@isu.edu to your email program's "safe sender" list. This can usually be accomplished by adding both email addresses to your email's contacts/address book. Call (208) 282-HELP for assistance.