March 24, 2006

Purdue creates crisis communication system for parents, students

Purdue is offering this service to enhance its communication efforts in preparation for a potential flu pandemic or other emergencies that could affect the health or safety of those on campus.

"We want to ensure that parents and students receive the latest, most accurate information available about any emergency on campus," said Jeanne Norberg, director of the Purdue News Service. "The system will be used only when there is a major event involving public safety."

The e-mail alerts will provide a short summary and then direct recipients to the News Service Web site for more details.

"The Web has allowed us to reach all our audiences quickly and with great detail and is Purdue's first line of communication in an emergency," Norberg said. "In fact, we already have created a Web site related to avian flu where people can keep up with Purdue planning as well as information from around the world.

"A Web site, though, is dynamic and will change as new information becomes available. Thanks to the new alert system, parents and students won't have to constantly watch the Web for those updates. Instead, they can receive alerts letting them know when the page has been significantly updated."

The Purdue avian flu page. At this site, parents and students can sign up for the alerts, and parents will have the option of subscribing to other news from Purdue as well. Faculty and staff also can sign up at the same site for e-mail alerts and a weekly news digest geared to their needs.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

To the News Service home page