Sign up to receive Mount Alerts

The Mount’s mass notification system, called Mount Alert, will quickly notify students, faculty and staff of significant, urgent events that could present a threat to personal safety. The system will also notify the Mount community about unplanned campus closures, for example due to severe weather. Students, faculty and staff are required to sign-up to receive these alerts, and will be sent a link to log-in to the system via e-mail to your @msvu.ca e-mail address. If you no longer have your original login email, please contact the IT&S Helpdesk at 902-457-6538 or email helpdesk@msvu.ca.

Log-in to edit your Mount Alert contact information (note: you can only log-in via this link once you’ve set-up your account through your personalized e-mail message).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Mount need an emergency response plan?

Your safety is of utmost importance to us. That’s why we continue to work to ensure we have the right policies, practices and systems in place. The emergency response plan details policies and procedures for responding to a wide variety of potential emergency events that could occur at the university.

Why does the Mount need a mass notification system and when will it be used?

The mass notification system is being introduced by the Mount in order to allow us to quickly notify you of significant, urgent events that could present a threat to your safety and where you may be required to take action. We’ll also use this system to tell you if the university is closed because of a storm.

Examples of the types of notifications that might be sent via the system include:

  • A full or partial campus closure due to severe weather or power outage
  • The need for a building evacuation due to, for example, a significant flood, bomb threat or chemical spill

The system will not be used to advise of fire alarms, technical issues, road conditions or situations that do not pose a threat to others (e.g. an individual medical incident).

How do I sign up for the mass notification system?

Stay tuned for an e-mail to your msvu.ca e-mail address that will provide you with a link to set-up your account for this system. As soon as you receive that e-mail, please log-in to indicate your preferred methods of contact. It is recommended that you use your Mount e-mail address as your log-in ID (as several organizations subscribe to this mass notification system, some common user names may already be taken). It’s important to remember that the log-in for the system is case sensitive.

Once you’ve received your log-in link, if you are having trouble logging in, contact the IT&S Help Desk at helpdesk@msvu.ca.

How will you contact me in the event of an urgent situation on campus?

The Mount’s mass notification system uses several information delivery methods to reach employees and students. You can specify your preferred method of communication so that important information can reach you quickly, however, all students, faculty and staff will receive all notifications via their Mount e-mail address (generally, firstname.lastname@msvu.ca).

Some of the ways we will contact the Mount community include:

  • e-mail (MSVU e-mail address and other addresses)
  • text messaging
  • phone messaging*
  • social media
  • the Mount web page

*Note: if you elect to receive phone messages, your phone will ring at the number you provide when an alert is issued. For campus closures due to winter storms, for example, this may mean your phone will ring in the early morning hours.

By when do I need to log-in to the system?

You should log-in to the mass notification system as soon as you receive the e-mail providing your personal link. Log-in is required to add means of receiving mass notifications other than your Mount e-mail address (for example, if you’d like to receive mass notifications by text message, you’ll need to log-in to input your telephone number). Once you’ve logged in the first time, you only need to log-in again if you want to change your methods of notification.

How quickly will I get messages?

How quickly you receive messages depends on your mobile carrier or internet service provider. There can be some variability, but the service provider that runs the mass notification system sends messages to all recipients within five minutes.

Will notifications be accessible by those with sight or hearing impairments?

Individuals with communication impairments are encouraged to use the same tools to access notifications that they use to facilitate their studies and work. In addition, we are asking members of the university community to help ensure one another’s safety by sharing information with their fellow students and co-workers, particularly when it might be more difficult for an individual to access important information. Students with concerns about the accessibility of information are also encouraged to contact Accessibility Services via gloria.johnston1@msvu.ca or 902-457-6674.

How do we make sure mass notification e-mails don’t go to junk mail boxes?

Our IT&S staff will ensure the email address the mass notification notices are sent from is recognized by the Mount’s email system as a ‘safe’ address. Once you receive a message from the system, you can also help ensure you always see emails from that address by right-clicking the message, then selecting ‘junk’ and ‘never block sender’. This will ensure mass notification messages always go to your inbox.

Who sends the mass notification messages?

The Mount’s Communications and Marketing department (within University Relations) will distribute most mass notifications, based on the advice of the university’s Emergency Management Team or response agencies (for example, police the fire department, etc.).

Will I automatically receive mass notifications or do I have to do something?

As a student, you will automatically receive mass notifications through your Mount e-mail without taking any action. Faculty and staff will automatically receive notifications through their Mount e-mail as well. However, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to log-in to the system to specify the additional method(s) – for example text or voice messages – through which they would like to receive information.

How is my contact information updated for phone alerts?

You are responsible for making all updates or changes to your contact information. The Mount does not update your information from other sources. It is especially important to change your contact information when you change cell phone carriers or if you change your phone number.

Will I receive duplicate mass notification messages?

You should expect to receive duplicate messages. For example, if you signed-up to receive mass notifications via text messaging, you can expect to receive a text message as well as a message to your Mount e-mail address. This redundancy is intentional to ensure important information reaches as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Will the university periodically test the mass notification system?

Yes, the university will test mass notification channels periodically. The university community will be informed when each test is scheduled and test messages will include reference to a test in the subject line.

Will my contact information be shared with anyone?

The contact information you enter will be provided to a third-party vendor (Everbridge) for purposes of notifying you in the event of an significant, urgent event. The information will not be shared for any other purpose or with any other group.

The third-party vendor has agreed that it has no right to use your contact information for any purpose other than sending you mass notification system messages. The vendor does not have rights to sell, disclose, or trade your contact information. When required by law (for example, in compliance with a subpoena or court order), your contact information may be disclosed.

Only individuals employed by Mount Saint Vincent University who must use this information to administer and manage the Mount’s mass notification system will have access to your contact information.

Is there a charge for subscribing to receive messages via phone alerts?

Information distributed via the Mount’s mass notification system is free to all students, faculty, and staff. Whether you are charged for text messages received through phone alerts will depend on the terms of your contract with your service provider.