Students, staff, faculty and other members of the N.C. State community received an e-mail from David Rainer, associate vice chancellor for environmental health and public safety, on Wednesday, announcing to campus community members they can sign up to receive emergency text messages.

According to Campus Police Chief Tom Younce, the system is designed to alert those who have signed up about any emergency or event that affects a large segment of campus. The text messaging system is seeking to increase security on and around campus due in part to the incident that took place at Virginia Tech in April.

Students and anyone else who is involved on campus should take the initiative and sign up to receive these alert messages. These alert messages will provide subscribers with vital information regarding emergencies, campus closings due to severe weather or other issues.

Regardless of the alert it’s important for campus goers to be informed about what is taking place on campus. For an emergency such as the tragic event that took place on Virginia Tech’s campus, it’s vital for students, faculty and staff know where to stay away from and where they can seek refuge.

Furthermore, because we have train tracks running in the middle of our campus if something were to happen and the train were to derail, it’s imperative to the campus community members to know to stay clear of campus to allow emergency workers to do their job to rescue the injured.

Raleigh is located where severe weather can strike, sometimes with little to no warning. If students were walking around campus and all of a sudden the sky was to turn black and then students received a text message of an immediate tornado about to hit campus, it would give students crucial minutes to seek safety indoors.

The system didn’t cost NCSU anything — it was bought by the UNC-System. However, it does cost the University money to send out messages, so students won’t be bombarded with junk text messages, according to Younce.

The University should continue to follow through with other safety measures they are planning and not just stop with text messages — like the speaker alert system.

This system will benefit everyone. The ability to get information out to the public during an emergency is key — by signing up to receive these messages you are helping keep not only yourself safe, but the campus too.