CSUCI Emergency FAQ

Question & Answers

  1. What is CSUCI Alert?
  2. Where did you get my contact information?
  3. Am I automatically enrolled to receive messages from CSUCI Alert?
  4. I would like to receive CSUCI Alert messages, how do I set this up?
  5. What will the confirmation message say?
  6. What if I reply “HELP” to the confirmation message?
  7. From what number will these text messages display?
  8. I did not receive a confirmation message. What happened?
  9. I did not receive a confirmation message because my cell phone wasn’t text enabled. I have since contacted my cell phone provider to enable it. Do I need another confirmation message sent?
  10. How do I opt-out of receiving CSUCI Alert messages?
  11. How do I opt-out of receiving text messages?
  12. What if I opted-out of receiving text messages but later decide I would like to opt-in again?
  13. If I change cell phone providers but keep the same number, do I need to opt-in again?
  14. What if my information is not registered with the University, but I want to receive alerts anyway? Can I text 23177 to “SUBSCRIBE CIALERT” and still receive messages?
  15. How do I update my contact information?
  16. What contact data should I provide to CSU Channel Islands?
  17. What are the consequences of not providing my cell phone number?
  18. How will I be contacted if I don't have a cell phone?
  19. What does it cost to get the CSUCI Alert messages?
  20. Why does the University have to test the CSUCI Alert system?
  21. I heard there was a CSUCI Alert message. Why didn’t I receive a message?
  22. What if I received a message and I am not affiliated with CSU Channel Islands or I already opted out of the service?
  23. How many messages will I receive during a single emergency?
  24. How fast will the emergency communication get to me?
  25. How does the system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?
  26. My telephone has a routing message, e.g., press "1" for Mary, press "2" for John. Will we get the alert?
  27. I share the same phone number as my roommate/colleague, will it call me twice?
  28. I provided the phone number and I have verified that it is correct. The call report indicates that you are reaching me live at that number. Why do I still not receive any calls from you?
  1. What is CSUCI Alert?
CSUCI Alert is an emergency messaging system that can simultaneously send safety alerts to telephones, e-mail addresses, text/SMS and TTY/TDD devices. It will only be used for emergency communication purposes and for occasional announcements that could be of interest to all or specific parts of the campus community.
  1. Where did you get my contact information?

CSUCI Alert uses contact information from your myCI account. Updates can be made by visiting myCI and accessing the "Alert Settings" section under your profile icon . Click the Edit link to update your contact information. The telephone numbers you provide will remain confidential and will NOT be released to anyone else.

  1. Am I automatically enrolled to receive messages from CSUCI Alert?

While all faculty, staff and students are automatically enrolled to receive messages via @csuci.edu and @myci.csuci.edu email addresses, we ask that everyone review and update their additional information in myCI. To do this, log into myCI and click "Alert Settings" under your profile icon. Please provide all of your contact information, including a cell phone so the University will have more ways to reach you in the event of an emergency.

  1. I would like to receive CSUCI Alert text messages, how do I set this up?

Log into myCI and navigate to the “Alert Settings" link under your profile icon. Provide your mobile phone number and check “Also Send Text Message to Mobile Phone.” The CSUCI Alert service will automatically send a text message within 24 hours to your cellphone to confirm your request. This occurs during business hours between 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. PST.

  1. What will the confirmation message say?

The confirmation message will read the following:
CSUCI Emergency Alert: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. For more info text reply "HELP" or "STOP CIALERT" to opt-out.

  1. What if I reply “HELP” to the confirmation message?

If you reply HELP, you will receive the message:
CSUCI Alert notifications. Users will receive relevant alerts as needed. For more info www.blackboardconnect.com/sms or sms@blackboardconnect.com. To opt-out text “STOP CIALERT”

  1. From what number will these text messages display?

You will see 23177 as the text messaging number sending you the confirmation message and all subsequent messages. Please save this number and program it as CSUCI Alert so that you can quickly recognize this number as the official source of CSU Channel Islands messages.

  1. I did not receive a confirmation message. What happened?

Please check with your mobile phone provider to find out if your device accepts text messages. You may also want to check with your provider to see if text messaging has been enabled. You may need to subscribe to a text messaging plan in order to receive or reply to text messages.

  1. I did not receive a confirmation message because my cell phone wasn’t text enabled. I have since contacted my cell phone provider to enable it. Do I need another confirmation message sent?

No. If your SMS phone was already submitted to our database, you should be confirmed to receive SMS alerts from us. However, you may also test to find out by texting the word “SUBSCRIBE” to 23177 and you will receive a reply with the following:
CSUCI Emergency Alert: This phone number has already been opted in. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP CIALERT" to opt-out.

  1. How do I opt-out of receiving CSUCI Alert messages?

At a minimum, the CSUCI community will always receive CSUCI Alert messages via their on-campus email addresses (@csuci.edu and @myci.csuci.edu). To stop receiving messages on some or all of your CSUCI Alert registered phone numbers, simply remove the number(s) from the “CSUCI Alert Contact Information” section in myCI and save your changes. To do this, log into myCI and click the "Alert Settings" link under your profile icon. Remove the phone number(s) and click the save button. You may follow the same steps to stop receiving messages at your alternate email address.

  1. How do I opt-out of receiving text messages?

You may opt-out at any time by texting “STOP CIALERT” or “QUIT CIALERT” to 23177. You may also uncheck the “Also Send Text Message to Mobile Phone” option in myCI.

  1. What if I opted-out of receiving text messages but later decide I would like to opt-in again?

You may request to begin receiving text messages by texting “SUBSCRIBE CIALERT" to 23177. Make sure that you have the “Also Send Text Message to Mobile Phone” option in myCI checked.

  1. If I change cell phone providers but keep the same number, do I need to opt-in again?

No. Once your phone number has been opted-in, it stays registered within the system.

  1. What if my information is not registered with the University, but I want to receive alerts anyway? Can I text 23177 to “SUBSCRIBE CIALERT” and still receive messages?

No, you will not receive messages. If you are not part of the University’s contact database, and you try to subscribe, you will receive the message:
You have not followed the Opt-In/Out process correctly. More info text HELP or go to www.blackboardconnect.com/sms

  1. How do I update my contact information?

Log into myCI, click the "Alert Settings" link under your profile icon and edit your information in the "CSUCI Alert Settings" section. The University will regularly refresh the contact information into the CSUCI Alert system.

  1. What contact data should I provide to CSU Channel Islands?

CSUCI Alert can deliver voice and text messages to the following phone types extracted from myCI: home, mobile, alternate mobile, and TDD/TTY device phone numbers. In addition, the system can also send email messages to your on-campus email address (@myci.csuci.edu for students or @csuci.edu for faculty/staff) and an alternate email address.

  1. What are the consequences of not providing my cell phone number?

Providing your cell phone is not mandatory. However, emergency notification messages will generally be urgent and time sensitive. Providing us more options to reach you, such as calling your cell phone or sending a text message, increases our ability to communicate important information in the event of an emergency.

  1. How will I be contacted if I don't have a cell phone?

Alert messages will also be sent to other telephone numbers and e-mail addresses you have listed in myCI. In addition, emergency information will continue to be sent to campus via e-mail and voice messages to office telephones, and it will be posted on the CSU Channel Islands web site home page and the University’s Alert hotline at 805-437-3911. The University has also implemented a new public address system and a telephone announcement system that automatically activates all office and classroom speaker telephones.

  1. What does it cost to get the CSUCI Alert messages?

There is no charge to subscribe to the service, but call and text messaging fees from cellular phone service providers may apply. Please contact your cell phone provider directly for your specific rate and billing information.

  1. Why does the University have to test the CSUCI Alert system?

The University must test CSUCI Alert to ensure it is securely in place as well as to familiarize the campus community with this important emergency communication vehicle. It will only be done twice a year -- once during the fall and spring semesters.

  1. I heard there was a CSUCI Alert message. Why didn’t I receive a message?

It is possible that we do not have your contact information loaded in the CSUCI Alert service, or it may be inaccurate. Updates can be made by visiting myCI and accessing the “Alert Settings" link under your profile icon. Make any necessary modifications to your contact information. If the correct information was already in myCI, but you did not receive a text message, please call the IT Solution Center support desk at 805-437-8552 for assistance.

  1. What if I received a message and I am not affiliated with CSU Channel Islands or I already opted out of the service?

If you erroneously receive a call, please contact the IT Solution Center support desk at 805-437-8552 or visit IT Solution Center.

  1. How many messages will I receive during a single emergency?

You will receive one message per phone line, email address, and SMS device. Phone lines may include: home, work or cell phone number. The CSUCI Alert system will notify your on-campus email address (@myci.csuci.edu for students or @csuci.edu for faculty/staff) and your alternate email address, if applicable.

  1. How fast will the Alert communication get to me?

The speed of the message will vary with the size of the audience, network congestion and time of day. The mass communication system used by CSUCI Alert includes sophisticated methods of call routing, throttling and load balancing to adjust to congestion that can occur among telecommunication providers.

  1. How does the system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?

For busy signals, the call will be repeated twice in an attempt to reach you. The same is true for no-answer and call-waiting. If the phone is answered by a message recorder, the message will be left on the answering device. If, after several attempts the call does not successfully go through, the system will stop attempting and report your number to be busy.

  1. My telephone has a routing message, e.g., press "1" for Mary, press "2" for John. Will we get the alert?

No. CSUCI Alert cannot traverse an automated answering system. Mary and John will not receive the alert.

  1. I share the same phone number as my roommate/colleague, will it call me twice?

No, the system will remove duplicate phone numbers during call delivery. Note: If you have multiple voicemail boxes at one telephone number, the system is unable to leave a voicemail message.

  1. I provided the phone number and I have verified that it is correct. The call report indicates that you are reaching me live at that number. Why do I still not receive any calls from you?

This might happen if you have call forwarding activated to forward calls to another telephone number or voicemail. By deactivating this feature, you should resume receiving messages from us.

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