Emergency Notification and Communications

In the event of an emergency or real-time incident on campus, the University has a communication protocol in place and will work to keep campus constituents updated with timely information. Please refer to this page and to the University's social media channels for the most accurate information.

Emergency Notifications

The University utilizes the RAVE Alert System to notify members of the campus community with urgent messages or updates. As part of new FCC requirements relating to emergency messages and non-emergency messages, the University is now required to include the terms urgent, emergency, and critical in our alert messages.

RAVE Alert Terms

Examples of potential scenarios that would necessitate a RAVE Alert using those terms include:

  • Critical: immediate threat on campus, building or campus-wide lockdown or shelter in place
  • Emergency: weather closure, small fire on campus
  • Urgent: water main break, accident potentially blocking through traffic on campus, power outage

We encourage all members of the campus community to read and take all RAVE Alerts seriously.

Other Important Terms

  • Lockdown - an emergency situation in which people are not allowed to freely enter, leave, or move around in a building or area because of danger.
  • Shelter in Place - instructing or requiring people to remain in their current location until a danger has passed.

Updating or Providing Your Information for our RAVE System

Fisher adds the phone number and email of all new students and employees to our RAVE database. However, to ensure that we have your most up-to-date information, please update your information at GetRAVE. You can also update your information through the RAVE Alert app in your Launchpad at mySJF (login required). If you have any questions about RAVE, please contact John LoTemple, assistant director of safety and security, at jlotemple@sjf.edu. 

Ongoing Communication During an Emergency

In the event of an ongoing or long-term incident, the University will communicate instructions to the campus community via an initial RAVE Alert and then continue to keep the community updated through a Fisher Alert email (fisheralert@sjf.edu) and on the website. 

Emergency Actions Plans

The University's emergency response plan contains instructions and action plans for several emergency scenarios. 

Other Important Communications

Weather Closing Process

In the event of a weather-related closing or emergency, announcements regarding classes or campus events will be communicated to the campus community in a variety of ways.

In the event of an overnight storm, the local media will be notified by 6:30 a.m. If evening classes shift due to midday weather conditions, the media will be notified by 3:30 p.m. In addition:

  1. Faculty, staff, and students will receive a RAVE Alert. 
  2. All local TV stations (10NBC, WROC-TV8, 13WHAM-TV, Fox, and Spectrum News) will carry this information.
  3. mySJF (Fisher's intranet) will have a message.
  4. The University’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts will also share the message.

Please note that most of the local media outlets have automated systems for reporting school closings. Unfortunately, the status codes that are available to us are general and do not allow for much specificity or personalization. Some status codes will indicate that the University is “closed.” Other messages will only allow us to indicate that “essential personnel” are to report to work. We will work to be as specific as possible in each system.

Essential personnel may still be required to report to campus, including security officers, residential life staff living in the Residence Halls, dining service staff, and facilities services staff; each according to their ability to get to campus.