To facilitate emergency announcements to instructors in classrooms, Library and Technology Services has implemented a new service which will use digital speakerphones to broadcast announcementsuses Cisco classroom phones to receive emergency announcements via Hawkwatch.
Wall-mounted digital speakerphones have been installed near the instructor’s station in all Registrar classrooms on campus. The speaker volume control has been preset to its highest level and cannot be changed. Note that this modification affects only the speaker, not the handset – so there should be no problem if someone wants to pick up the handset and use the phone for a regular call. Note that only (Note that only campus and local calls can be made from these phones.)
Faculty should familiarize themselves with the location of these speakerphones in their classrooms. Please be sure to notify LTS immediately if the speakerphone is out of order (dial TLINE8HELP, 85463x.84357).
Here are some common questions and answers related to this new service:
What will happen when an announcement takes place?
You will hear an alert tone repeated several times, followed by the announcement. As soon as you hear the alert tone, silence your class and move to a position near the speakerphone so you can better hear the announcement. If you miss part or all of it, don’t worry – the alert/announcement sequence will be repeated three timesThe phone will ring and then automatically be answered so you hear the announcement via the speakerphone.
What if I’m already on the phone when the announcement comes through?
If you are making a 911 call, the announcement will not interrupt it . If you are making other types of calls, your call will be placed on hold to allow the alert/announcement to play. You can retrieve the call later by pressing the hold button when the announcement is donebut will come through when the call is complete.
What if I don’t understand the announcement and need more information?
An event that triggers a classroom broadcast announcement will also trigger other emergency notification channels: the University web pages, LU-ALERT Hawkwatch text messaging, email and campus voice mail alerts. If you cannot access any of these channels, dial the campus operator (0) for information.