ODU Alerts is Old Dominion University's emergency alert and notification system capable of delivering messages to ODU faculty, staff and students email addresses, land lines and cell phones. These messages include campus emergencies as well as campus and inclement weather and closures as they pertain to the entire campus community.
Alerts will be sent by either University Relations or Old Dominion Police, depending on the nature of the situation. ODU Alerts is a free service and will not charge you a subscriber's fee from ODU. Standard text message and phone rates from your phone provider will apply.
HOW IT WORKS
ODU Alerts allows you to list up to six contact methods. During an urgent situation, the ODU Alerts system will begin cycling through your points of contact to deliver the alert, starting with the first available. When you receive the message, it is very important that you confirm receipt when prompted. If no confirmation is received, ODU Alerts will continue cycling through your points of contact.
It will be used only for emergency notifications (see FAQ: How will I know it's an ODU Alert?) which can be sent via text message (SMS), phone numbers, ornon-ODU e-mail. You do not need to provide your ODU e-mail address, as the university will continue to broadcast alert messages to Old Dominion e-mail addresses.
When ODU Alerts May Be Activated
NEAR TERM ACTION REQUIRED
There is a required near term action on the part of the University community, including but not limited to:
Sheltering from a storm;
Cancelling classes;
A dangerous situation on campus that could impinge on personal safety either locally or generally, such as a chemical spill, bomb threat, or dangerous person.
ONGOING THREAT
ODU Alerts will also be used when the Old Dominion Police Department or senior administration determines that there is an ongoing threat to the University community by the presence of certain persons or when the timeliness of the notice may assist in locating an offender.
To best reach the University student community during incidents and emergencies, all ODU students are automatically registered with their provided primary cell phone in the ODU Alerts system. Students can manage their account and add additional numbers to receive notifications using the "Update Me Now" button on the My Information panel in the myODU Portal.
University faculty and staff can opt-in to receive alerts via https://getrave.com/login/odu. Using your MIDAS ID and password to login, you can register the contact methods that are best for you. Users may select up to six different methods of contact from ODU Alerts (see FAQ: Can I list someone else as a point of contact?).
Each individual subscriber MUST update their contact information. You are responsible for making all updates or changes to your contact information. ODU does not update your information from other sources.
Unsubscribe from ODU Alerts
ODU students who wish to opt out of ODU Alerts (SMS text and voice notifications) can do so via the "Update Me Now" button on the My Information panel in the myODU Portal.
ODU faculty and staff can unsubscribe from ODU Alert SMS text and voice notifications by simply texting the word STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE (do not include signature or punctuation) to the last ODU Alert message received (ODU Alerts can come from any of the following numbers: 226787, 67283, 77295, 78015, 81437).
You may also follow these instructions:
Click on the "Manage your Account" link.
Log into the system with your MIDAS credentials.
Click the DELETE (red) button beside your cell phone number.
Follow the confirmation prompts.
Note: ODU students, faculty, and staff will continue to receive ODU Alert emails until your email account is deactivated (i.e., when you officially leave the University).
Deactivation
Your subscription may be deactivated if you:
Leave the University
Your ODU affiliation changes and you are no longer a registered student
It has been determined (after due process) that you have intentionally abused or harmed the system
You will not be notified when your subscription is deactivated because of a change in affiliation.
In an effort to more effectively communicate with the University student community during incidents and emergencies, all student primary cell phone numbers are automatically enrolled in the ODU Alerts system. In the interest of facilitating safety communications during incidents and emergencies, students are strongly encouraged to keep their primary cell phone number in the ODU Alerts system. ODU students who wish to opt out of ODU Alerts (SMS text and voice notifications) must do so by accessing the "Update Me Now" button on the My Information panel via the myODU Portal. You will continue to receive email notifications at your ODU email address; you will have access to the Old Dominion weather/emergency telephone hotline; and you will be able to find the emergency information at the Old Dominion homepage.
For ODU faculty and staff, if you decide not to sign up, you will not receive notification via your preferred contact methods. You will continue to receive email notifications at your ODU email address; you will have access to the Old Dominion weather/emergency telephone hotline; and you will be able to find the emergency information at the Old Dominion homepage.
The University plans to test the system on a regular basis, at least once per semester. The campus community will be notified in advance of such tests.
If the message is a test of the system, it will be delivered with the subject line "TEST: ODU Alerts." Any message that does not include the word "test" is an urgent message. Urgent messages will carry subject lines including, but not limited to, "Safety Timely Warning," "Emergency Notification" or "Weather Alert."
ODU Alerts is intended to communicate urgent information to students, faculty, and staff on campus during an emergency. For that reason, it is very important that you carefully consider your points of contact.
Remember that the system cycles through your points of contact until receipt is confirmed. If, for example, you list your first point of contact as your cell phone and your second and third as your parents' numbers, you risk not receiving the message in a timely manner or at all if you are unavailable on your cell phone at the time of an emergency. If you still wish to include parents, spouses, or others among your points of contact, we strongly suggest listing yourself as the first several points of contact.
ODU student subscribers must update their contact information via the "My Information Form" in the myODU portal.
ODU faculty and staff subscribers must update their contact information via the myODU portal. You are responsible for making all updates or changes to your contact information. ODU does not update your information automatically.
Old Dominion will not verify the accuracy of the data you enter. If the contact data that you enter is not accurate, it will remain inaccurate until it is changed by you. In cases where individuals have entered incorrect telephone numbers and the actual telephone number holder contacts ODU and can verify they are the holder of the number, the number will be deleted and you will be notified via your ODU email address that the incorrect information has been removed.
For ODU students, the primary cell phone number can be updated using the "My Information Form" in the myODU portal. This will update that primary number in Banner as well as in ODU Alerts, but no other University systems will be updated. Additional contact numbers provided for ODU Alerts via the "My Information Form" are only used in the ODU Alerts system.
For ODU faculty and staff, the contact information you provide will not be used to update any other ODU systems.
The contact data you enter will be provided to a third party for purposes of notifying you in the event of an emergency. No identifying information (such as your name, etc.) will be provided to the third party vendor.
The third party vendor has agreed that they have no right to use your contact information for any purpose other than notifying you via ODU Alerts. They do not have rights to sell, disclose or trade your contact information. When required by law (e.g.. in compliance with a subpoena or court order) your contact information may be disclosed.
Only the individuals employed by Old Dominion who must use this information to administer and manage ODU Alerts will have access to your contact information
If, for any reason, a decision is made to use the ODU Alerts Automated Notification System for anything other than an emergency, you will be notified and given the opportunity to subscribe to the other service before your contact information is used for dissemination of non-emergency information through ODU Alerts.
The contact data you enter will be provided to a third party for purposes of notifying you in the event of an emergency. No identifying information (such as your name, etc.) will be provided to the third party vendor. The third party vendor has agreed that they have no right to use your contact information for any purpose other than notifying you via ODU Alerts. They do not have rights to sell, disclose or trade your contact information. When required by law (e.g.. in compliance with a subpoena or court order) your contact information may be disclosed. Only individuals employed by Old Dominion University who must use this information to administer and manage ODU Alerts will have access to your contact information.
Important Numbers
757-683-3000
ODU Switchboard
757-683-4000
ODU Police Emergency
911
Emergency
757-683-3477
SAFE RIDE
757-683-5665
Safety Escorts
Resources
ODU Police Department
ODU's full-service sworn law enforcement department
Safety Reports
View ODU's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report
Report Concerning Behavior
Share your concerns with ODU's Threat Assessment T.E.A.M.
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