DePaul Public Safety Officer Raquel Esparza patrols the Lincoln Park campus. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
On Monday, the Michigan State University community experienced great loss when a gunman killed three students and critically wounded five others on campus.
In light of this tragedy, many in our community may be interested in learning more about DePaul's safety measures. Public Safety wants to remind everyone how our university would communicate during such an emergency situation, as well as the protocols here that Blue Demons should follow.
DPU Alert is the university's direct emergency notification system. In an emergency, DPU Alert delivers a message to your phone, email and/or text-messaging device.
It is very important to update your contact information in Campus Connect whenever you change your phone or email:
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Students: In
Campus Connect, select the Profile tile, then click on DPU/Academic Alert.
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Faculty and staff: In
BlueSky, go to the homepage of My BlueSky, then select DPU Alert.
DePaul periodically tests DPU Alert to make sure our students, faculty and staff are familiar with receiving the messages. The next test is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23.
During the test, a message clearly marked as TEST will be sent via email, text message, and/or phone call, depending on preferences set by individuals. The message also will be shared on the university's primary
Twitter and
Facebook feeds, and a test emergency banner will be activated on the DePaul website for a short time.
Guidance for what to do in an active-shooter situation is in DePaul's online emergency plan, which has
Active Shooter webpage.
It is critical for you to be aware both of exits that are available in the buildings that you most frequently visit and of secure location options, such as office space or a classroom. Please check out the
Emergency Preparedness website to view a short video demonstrating how to use a door barricade in a classroom. Knowing how to use these devices BEFORE an emergency is critical.
While it can be upsetting to consider the possibility of violence on campus, all are encouraged to review Public Safety's recommended protocol—detailed on
the Emergency Plan website—for this and other potential emergency situations.