Interesting article that provides costs associated with sending/testing notification systems ($ 0.09 per text). Also, notice the low rate of participation from staff members (16% as compared to a 83% student participation).

Emergency texts cost thousands to send

By Andrea Hammer

Campus Editor

Publication Date: 04/02/10

Imagine the cost of texting more than 35,000 people. That’s what the University pays every time it sends out an emergency notification.

A prank in which a student was abducted from the bus stop as a joke ended up costing Purdue $7,560 for two text messages to be sent to all 37,004 people on the text alerts list.

According to Carol Shelby, senior director of environmental health and public safety, it costs the University $0.09 for each phone number that receives a message.

Jeanne Norberg, University spokeswoman, said that though the amount of people enrolled changes daily, the enrollment is roughly 83 percent students and 16 percent staff.

There is also cost associated with testing the emergency notification systems.

“Typically, we do have to pay for the test messages as well,” said Shelby. “Similar to the outdoor all-hazards warning sirens, testing the text messaging system is fundamental to ensuring that the system will work when it is needed for mass notification to the Purdue community.”

Norberg said that although messages were originally sent out through the University’s news service, it is now controlled through the Purdue University Police Department.

“We have someone on call 24 hours a day,” Norberg said.

Sometimes students might notice a lapse of an hour or more from the time the incident happened to the time they receive a notification. Norberg said the University sends out a notification after it is realized there’s a threat to safety.

“We send out the alert as soon as we know there is a possible issue of public safety,” Norberg said. “It may be only after investigation do we realize it’s a potential concern and then we send out an alert. The clock doesn’t start when the incident happens; the clock starts when we realize there’s a threat to public safety.”

More at: http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=20793