How to get CSU emergency alerts in Fort Collins

Colorado State University automatically sends emergency alerts to students’ and employees’ colostate.edu email addresses, but students and employees with a telephone number on file must opt in for text alerts.

Here’s when CSU sends alerts, how students and employees sign up for texts, and where families and others can get safety updates.

When does CSU send an emergency alert during a campus incident?

CSU emergency notifications may address significant events or dangerous situations that are ongoing or present an immediate threat to the university community’s safety or well-being. CSU says it sends emergency alerts when a situation presents an ongoing threat to the physical area of its campuses, such as an incident on campus or a suspect in a serious incident may be moving toward campus.

CSU may not issue an alert if police quickly resolve or immediately contain a threat, such as by apprehending a suspect and confirming there is no ongoing danger. The university does not send alerts about off-campus community incidents that do not threaten a campus. For an issue confined to one campus area, CSU may notify only the people directly affected, such as occupants of a building where flooding occurs.

Do CSU students, faculty and staff have to sign up to receive emergency alerts?

All colostate.edu email addresses are automatically subscribed to CSU safety alerts. The system emails students and employees who maintain a colostate.edu address.

Students and employees with a telephone number on file with the university must opt in to receive CSU text alerts and advisories.

How can CSU students, faculty and staff sign up for emergency text alerts?

Students can sign up by logging into RAMweb with an eID and selecting Manage My Student Record under the Records section.

Faculty and staff can sign up by logging into AAR with an eID and selecting Emergency Text Alerts in the right-hand navigation under Quick Applications. CSU alert-system participants are responsible for keeping their information up to date.

How can family members and other community members stay informed about CSU emergencies?

Family members of current students and others can opt in to CSU safety-update texts by texting CSUALERT to 888777.

What channels besides texts carry CSU alerts?

The Dec. 1, 2024, CSU explainer described the CSU Safety website as the primary source for emergency information and said all updates were posted there. CSU also posts all alerts on the Safety homepage and maintains an online archive of alerts.

CSU Police and Safety’s Facebook and X accounts share urgent emergency alerts that may present an immediate threat to life or safety on CSU campus grounds. CSU’s Facebook and X accounts may also share emergency or campus-closure information. You can call (970) 491-7669 for the latest information about university operations and emergency campus closures.

How can I tell whether a CSU message is an emergency alert, safety alert, or advisory?

An emergency alert goes to affected campuses for a confirmed immediate threat to people on site or near Main Campus in areas with high student populations. A safety alert is a timely warning about a crime committed on or near a university campus under Clery Act guidelines, intended to increase awareness of ongoing or dangerous situations.

A safety advisory concerns an issue that is not a threat or emergency but may affect campuses.

What should people do when they receive a CSU emergency alert?

CSU emergency notifications and timely warnings include information and instructions intended to help you minimize risk and avoid interfering with emergency response activities. If you receive an emergency alert, act immediately to secure your safety and the safety of others, and follow the alert’s directions. If you receive a safety alert, follow its instructions.

How does CSU tell people when an emergency is over?

CSU says it will share a follow-up message advising when regular activities can resume in affected areas, but it cannot share details that could affect active investigations.

CSU issues an all-clear message whenever possible when a threat is nearly or fully resolved, but some incidents have no clear resolution and may not receive one. An all-clear message means the emergency has concluded and the university has returned to standard operations.