Getting Information During a Crisis or Emergency

The Campus Alert Notification Network, or CANN, is a comprehensive emergency structure in place to alert the campus community in the event of an emergency.

During an emergency, you can get information from the following sources:

In the case of an immediate threat, the campus public address system will be activated. All members of campus should hear an audible alarm. This sound will alert you to immediately check one of the following information sources:

• Your text message or cell phone – Please make sure you have entered your personal contact information in the MyHofstra portal so we can notify you through our high-speed notification network in case of an emergency.
• www.hofstra.edu and the campus alert page of the web site
• The campus alert hotline – (516) 463-1234
• The Hofcast network, now available on LCD screens in all academic buildings, in addition to highly trafficked sites around campus.
• The Hofstra television service – all stations on the Hofstra service will be interrupted in case of an emergency.

The audible alarm will only sound in the event of a real and immediate emergency. For other emergencies, such as weather emergencies or class cancellations due to snow or other severe weather conditions, the audible alarm will not sound but all other communications channels will provide information.

The public address system is controlled at the Department of Public Safety’s 24-hour central command. Loudspeakers have been installed at 10 locations across campus, and are equipped to broadcast an emergency tone, other sounds or verbal instructions. The broadcast of the emergency tone alerts the campus community to look at any number of emergency communication information channels.

Currently, Hofstra utilizes a number of communication channels in case of emergency, including an alert on the home page of www.hofstra.edu, e-mail, a telephone hotline and the campus closed circuit network, Hofcast. The Hofcast network broadcasts campus events and information on a large LCD screen in more than 120 well-trafficked locations across the campus, including every academic building and each of our residence halls (during the spring 2008 semester), giving all students immediate access to emergency information on screens throughout the campus.