Timely Warnings
In the event of a threat to campus safety, the College will notify the campus in one of two ways. For an active emergency, a member of the Campus Safety team will send mass notifications to students, faculty, and staff by text message, email, and automated phone call. In other cases, the Chief of Campus Police or a designee will send out a campus crime alert via email identifying the concern.
Emergency Notifications
Should a situation arise that poses an immediate threat to the campus community, a campus-wide emergency notification will be made identifying the threat and action to take. Campus staff are capable of making the notification at all hours.
Updating your Emergency Contact Information
Contact information for you and your designated emergency contacts can be updated at any time using Self-Service. The AC Alerts system can send emergency messages by text, automated phone call, and email. This system is tested once per semester, and otherwise used only for emergency situations.
Emergency Outdoor Siren
An outdoor siren that is connected to the City of Sherman emergency alert system is located on the Austin College campus. This system is checked monthly. The following links are provided in order to familiarize the Austin College community of the different tones/sounds for the emergency outdoor siren in the event of severe weather/tornado or a campus lockdown.
Campus Safety Guide
The Campus Safety Guide is designed to assist students, faculty, and staff in preparation for emergencies and to promote safety on campus. The guide is available to current students on the student portal and to employees on the campus intranet.
Emergency Operations Plan
The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) outlines standard emergency response protocol for Austin College. The EOP is written in support of emergency management, safety preparedness, and is built upon the National Response Framework.
Emergency Phones
Emergency telephones are strategically located around the campus to provide a quick and easy way to contact Campus Police in an emergency. See the Campus Map with the locations. There are also emergency phones located in every campus elevator. The phones operate with one touch so there are no emergency numbers to have to remember in time of need. The integrated microphone and speaker design allow for hands-free use after the phone is activated. This system is checked periodically. Emergency phones are located at:
- Abell Library
- Apple Stadium Football Field/Track
- Dean Residence Hall
- Bledsoe St. Parking Lot
- Bryan Apartments
- Caruth Residence Hall
- Clyce Residence Hall/Wynne Chapel
- Elizabeth Russell Tennis Complex
- Flats at Brockett Court
- Forster Art Complex
- Ida Green Communication Center
- IDEA Center/Craig Hall
- Jackson Technology Center/Campus Police
- Johnson ‘Roo Suites
- Luckett St. Parking Lot
- North Flats
- Temple Center Parking Lot
- Williams Intramural Complex
What is a Campus Lockdown?
What is a campus emergency lockdown? A campus emergency lockdown is a campus notification to lock all access points into buildings, classrooms, offices, labs, meeting areas, dining areas, athletics areas, theaters, residence halls, etc. All campus members are to immediately lock themselves into the areas they are in and remain there.
How long will a lockdown take? Once a campus lockdown is initiated, the lockdown will be in effect as long as necessary for the situation to be resolved. Once the situation is resolved, a campus notification will be sent via the campus notification system.
How will a campus lockdown warning be shared with the campus community? A campus emergency lockdown warning will be initiated through two outlets: the campus emergency notification system, which sends out emails, automated phone messages, and/ or text messages depending on the type of emergency; and the campus emergency outdoor siren.
- Campus Emergencies
- Campus Police