USU Conducting Test of Alert, Lockdown Systems Jan. 3

Utah State University’s Department of Public Safety will conduct an exercise on Wednesday, Jan. 3, to test the university’s alert systems as well as building lockdown procedures on the Logan campus.

The test will begin at 9 a.m. and is planned to last 10 minutes. During that time, people who work or study on the Logan campus will receive an Aggie Alert by text, email and push notification on the Aggie Safe App. The test will also include alert messages on the university’s website.

This is the same way the university shares updates in the event of an actual emergency. Students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled to receive Aggie Alerts but can add more mobile numbers to receive alerts at myid.usu.edu. Parents and community members can also sign up to receive notifications at alert.usu.edu.

At the time of the lockdown, Logan campus buildings — not including residence halls — with keycard access will be temporarily locked. Students and employees should plan ahead to minimize inconvenience from this test.

“As USU continues to grow and prepare for large-scale events, Aggie Alerts is our first line of emergency communication with our campus community,” said Ellis Bruch, executive director of Public Safety. “This exercise will identify our current level of emergency communications and building security.”

For those interested in learning more about what to do in case of an actual emergency, the Department of Public Safety has resources on its webpage, including steps to take if an armed aggressor is on campus.

Bruch added that these tests are the perfect opportunity for university departments to exercise their own emergency response plans.

All messages will include that this is an exercise for testing purposes, and the exercise will end with an all-clear message. Anyone with feedback or questions after the exercise is encouraged to email emergencymanagement@usu.edu.