Emergency SMS Messaging System
Test message broadcast 21 December 2011
Everyone with a valid mobile phone number recorded will receive a test message on 21 December 2011. There is no need to take any action in relation to this message.
If you would like to provide feedback about this test, please email emergency-management@unimelb.edu.au
On this page:
- What is the Emergency SMS Messaging System?
- Adding or updating your mobile phone number - for students
- Adding or updating your mobile phone number - for staff
- Guide to formatting your mobile phone number
- Privacy
What is the Emergency SMS Messaging System?
To protect the safety of our students and staff in an emergency, the University needs to be able to communicate swiftly.
The University's Emergency SMS Messaging System allows us to send a 160 character SMS (sometimes called a text message) instantly to all students and staff who have entered a valid mobile phone number into their University records.
This allows us to contact students and staff quickly and directly in the event that essential services are disrupted, campus access becomes restricted or some other kind of emergency occurs.
Adding or updating your mobile phone number - for students
How to add/edit your mobile phone number in the Student Portal, steps 1-4 (click for larger)
How to add/edit your mobile phone number in the Student Portal, steps 5-7 (click for larger)
The Emergency SMS Messaging System uses your mobile phone number as stored in your electronic student record accessible from your student portal.
To add or update a mobile phone number:
- Log in to the Student Portal at http://portal.unimelb.edu.au/
- Click on the Admin tab
- On the left-hand side under Personal Details, you can see your current details
- To change these details, click the edit button next to Are all your details correct?
- This will launch the eStudent interface
- Scroll down to under My Contact Details
- In the section My Phone Numbers:
- click on Add a phone number if you want to add a new mobile phone number.
- Please note you must add your mobile number as type "Mobile Phone" if you want it to receive messages from the Emergency SMS Messaging System.
- To make sure you have entered your number correctly, check Guide to formatting your mobile phone number.
- click on Update next to an existing mobile phone number if you want to edit it.
- click on Add a phone number if you want to add a new mobile phone number.
Adding or updating your mobile phone number - for staff
The Emergency SMS Messaging System uses your mobile phone details as they appear in your staff profile in the University directory.
- You can add or edit a mobile phone number in your profile using the instructions in Updating your public (researcher) profile in Themis (.pdf)
- Please note: you do not need to make your mobile phone number public in order to receive messages from the Emergency SMS Messaging System. You can choose to keep it restricted to internal University use by selecting Consent to Publish Mobile: University only in your profile.
- To make sure you have entered your number correctly, check Guide to formatting your mobile phone number.
Guide to formatting your mobile phone number
The Emergency SMS Messaging System may not be able to send to your mobile phone if your number is not in the right format.
- Please include numbers only. Do not include any non-number characters (no brackets, no plus (+), no other letters or punctuation).
- Example Australian mobile number: 0401234567
- Australian mobile numbers should be 10 digits and begin with 04.
- Example international mobile number: 27721233259
Example based on South Africa country code 27 plus South African mobile number 072 123 3259.- International mobile numbers should be written as <country code><mobile number without the leading zero>.
- Please do not list a landline phone number as your mobile number, as the system can only send to mobile phones.
Privacy
The phone numbers that the Emergency SMS Messaging System uses are extracted from personal records in eStudent/ISIS (student information system) and the staff directory. Information is stored in a secure database that is protected against unauthorised access. The database is updated weekly from ISIS and the staff directory.
The Emergency SMS Messaging System will only be used to contact students and staff in an emergency (or to test the system). All information is treated in accordance with the University's Privacy Policy.