Risk Management Division of Business Affairs

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point has enhanced their emergency communication capabilities. The university utilizes Rave Alert, an emergency alert system capable of delivering messages to your UW-Stevens Point and personal email address, work cell phone and/or personal cell phone via text, campus residence halls over the intercom system and campus computers through the Alertus (full-screen pop-up) program.

UW-Stevens Point has given the Rave system the following campus name - Pointer Alerts.

The system is designed to provide information about active emergency situations that require immediate action. The philosophy behind Pointer Alerts is to send a consistent set of messages across all channels in an effort to reach as many members of the campus community as possible, in as short an amount of time as possible. Pointer Alerts is one of many emergency communication methods available to the university.

Students and employees are automatically entered in the Pointer Alerts system via their university email accounts and their cell phone information provided in accesSPoint (students) and My UW System (non-student employees). BE CERTAIN TO KEEP THIS INFORMATION CURRENT. They will serve as the basis for your Pointer Alert account.

If you are a student, click here for instructions how to enter/update your cell phone information.

If you are faculty or staff, click here for instructions how to enter/update your cell phone information.

A Pointer Alerts account has been established for each student and employee. We ask all to confirm their Pointer Alert account. From this account one may enter other personal cell phones numbers they desire to be included in these emergency notifications.

For instructions how to confirm your Pointer Alerts account, click here.

To login, add to and test your Pointer Alerts account go to the registration page login at https://www.getrave.com/login/uwsp. See "How do I register, manage, add to and test my Pointer Alerts account below for instructions.

Fall semester: a full-system test is conducted the third week of semester.

Spring semester: a full-system test is scheduled during the third week of semester and as a part of the statewide tornado drill held in March or April each year.

A full-system test includes a test of all communication channels.  Tests of individual system channels conducted throughout the year.

Students can add parents' cell phone numbers and email addresses to their student Pointer Alert account.  

To add phone numbers or email addresses, follow these instructions.

How to Enter Primary Contact Mobile Number

All university owned and assigned cell phone numbers are to be added by the applicable employee phone user in My-UW System. If employees do not carry a university owned cell phone, they are encouraged to enter their personal cell phone number on My UW System. Students add their cell phone information in accesSPoint (this would be the equivalent of My UW System). After addition into My UW System or accesSPoint, the numbers will then be uploaded into Pointer Alerts. 

If you are a student, click here for instructions how to enter/update your primary cell phone information.

If you are faculty or staff, click here for instructions how to enter/update your primary cell phone information.

Confirm Pointer Alert Account

For instructions how to confirm your Pointer Alerts account, click here.

To Add Additional Mobile Numbers and Email Addresses

If you have multiple cell phones and personal email addresses, we encourage you to add all of them into Pointer Alerts to increase the likelihood of receiving a given Pointer Alerts message. To add phone numbers or email addresses, follow these instructions.

Test Account (cell phone/email)

Individuals may choose to test the service to confirm proper registration.

1. Login to Pointer Alerts
2. Click TEST next to your registered cell phone number or email address
3. A TEST email/text message will be sent to your account

Did not receive the TEST email or text message?   Please report this issue at pointeralerts@uwsp.edu or 715-346-4464.  

All Pointer Alert text messages will arrive from one of the following short code numbers (i.e., a shorten phone number that will appear on your caller ID) 67283, 78015, 81437 or 226787. It is recommended that you store these numbers in your cell phone and label it Pointer Alerts. 

Reason for Duplicate Text Messages

If you received a duplicate text message from Pointer Alerts it is because your cell phone number is tied to more than one UWSP email address.  How can this be?

The following is a list of ways your phone number may be tied to multiple email addresses:

1. If you have a student email account and a staff email account.
   
2. You share a cell phone with another student or staff member on campus and both have listed the same cell phone number.
3. Someone has mistyped their cell phone number and inadvertently your cell phone number is listed on their Pointer Alerts account too. 

University-owned computers will also be alerted with a pop-up on their desktops in the event of an emergency through the Alertus system which has been configured to directly receive and transmit alerts.

To register your PERSONAL COMPUTER to receive Alertus full-screen pop-up emergency alerts - please visit the Alertus webpage for more information and instructions.

Individuals without campus standard load and/or personal systems must configure their system to be certain Pointer Alerts messages are not filtered by their spam/junk filters. Confirm this when tests are run.

No. Pointer Alerts is just one method used to alert the campus community in the event of an emergency. Pointer Alerts includes text, email, computer full-screen pop-up, campus web page, and residence hall intercom communication channels. In addition, other notification methods available to campus include:

• regular campus email
• simplex alarms (i.e. fire alarm)
• public address systems in certain buildings
• Portage County Community Alert system
• phone and verbal/written instructions

The exact system utilized in an emergency will be determined by emergency response personnel.

Emergency alerts will be sent only in the event of an imminent campus emergency that is immediately dangerous to life and/or health. University Police will determine when an emergency alert should be issued.

For non-emergency communications, various combinations of direct email, phone, verbal/written may be used as is appropriate to the situation.

See the UW-Stevens Point Emergency Management Plan for details on various emergency response steps.

The service is free, but individuals are responsible for any SMS charges from their cellular provider if applicable.

Student and employee cell phone information is automatically entered in the Pointer Alerts system from either accesSPoint (students) or My UW System (non-student employees).

Simply reply to any text message from the service with the word "STOP" and you will no longer receive any future Pointer Alert text messages.

The university will not send any advertisements via the system.

No software is necessary for your phone as long as it accepts text messages.

The message will come from pointeralerts@uwsp.edu.

As a member of faculty, staff or a student at UW-Stevens Point, you are automatically signed up to receive notifications through your official University e-mail.

For more instructions and Rave specific FAQs, first login to Pointer Alerts.  Second, click the HELP button on the upper right hand corner of your screen.

Contact UW-Stevens Point Service Desk (715-346-4357 or extension HELP) with general technology-related questions.

For specific questions about Pointer Alerts contact Emergency Management Specialist, at pointeralerts@uwsp.edu or 715-346-4464.

If you have multiple cell phones and personal email addresses, we encourage you to add all of them into Pointer Alerts to increase the likelihood of receiving a given Pointer Alerts message (to add them, follow the 'To Add Additional Mobile Numbers and Email Addresses' instructions under the 'How do I register, manage, add to, and test my Pointer Alerts account?' FAQ ).

Pointer Alerts Notice

Individuals have responsibility for maintaining their personal contact information with University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and maintaining their own applicable equipment. UW-Stevens Point does not warrant the successful delivery of each message to each individual recipient. The service depends on the individual e-mail systems, phone carrier’s delivery ability and other factors. Electrical power outages, personnel disruptions or other failures in communications systems may also cause system failures or message delivery complications.

See UW-Stevens Point Emergency Management Plan for further response details. Also, follow orders of responding emergency personnel.