» Frequently Asked Questions
Chapman University recently implemented the Panther-Alert service to allow campus leaders and security professionals the ability to reach all students, faculty, and staff with time-sensitive information during unforeseen events or emergencies using voice, email and text messaging. During critical situations, Chapman officials can use the system to broadcast pertinent information and provide details on appropriate response. Please provide your most current contact information today by visiting the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form
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Data Related Questions
Question: What contact data should I provide Chapman?
Answer: Panther-Alert allows storing of up to six phone numbers and two email addresses. The best emergency contact number is probably your mobile phone. Please provide us with multiple points of contact points to ensure message delivery.
Question: I heard that my classmate received a voice message from Panther-Alert but I did not. Why?
Answer: It is possible that we do not have your contact information or it is out of date. Please visit the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form to update your information. If you have updated your information and you still are not receiving any voice messages, please contact the Chapman Help Desk.
Question: I share the same phone number as my roommate, will it call me twice?
Answer: No, the system automatically will remove duplicate phone numbers during voice message
Question: How will the privacy of my information be protected?
Answer: The University’s privacy policies protect the private information of all student, staff and faculty. In addition our contract for the use of Panther-Alert prohibits NTI-Blackboard from sharing any of your private information.
Question: I am a parent of a student who never seems to fill out forms! Can I fill this one out myself?
Answer: According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the University must receive contact information directly from students. Students sign up for emergency notification when they fill out their emergency contact form. Due to privacy issues, students must provide their own personal information, including contacts to be notified via Panther-Alert in case of emergency. Please discuss notification issues with your student, who can then list your contact information on the emergency form. Only your student can make changes to the contact information in his or her Panther-Alert form.
Question: How can I verify that my student has filled out the form and, if so, has done it correctly?
Answer: You will need to speak directly with your student to verify that he or she has filled out the form and to learn exactly what information your student has provided to the University. Students may update their emergency contact information at any time by using the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form
Answer: Panther-Alert allows storing of up to six phone numbers and two email addresses. The best emergency contact number is probably your mobile phone. Please provide us with multiple points of contact points to ensure message delivery.
Question: I heard that my classmate received a voice message from Panther-Alert but I did not. Why?
Answer: It is possible that we do not have your contact information or it is out of date. Please visit the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form to update your information. If you have updated your information and you still are not receiving any voice messages, please contact the Chapman Help Desk.
Question: I share the same phone number as my roommate, will it call me twice?
Answer: No, the system automatically will remove duplicate phone numbers during voice message
Question: How will the privacy of my information be protected?
Answer: The University’s privacy policies protect the private information of all student, staff and faculty. In addition our contract for the use of Panther-Alert prohibits NTI-Blackboard from sharing any of your private information.
Question: I am a parent of a student who never seems to fill out forms! Can I fill this one out myself?
Answer: According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the University must receive contact information directly from students. Students sign up for emergency notification when they fill out their emergency contact form. Due to privacy issues, students must provide their own personal information, including contacts to be notified via Panther-Alert in case of emergency. Please discuss notification issues with your student, who can then list your contact information on the emergency form. Only your student can make changes to the contact information in his or her Panther-Alert form.
Question: How can I verify that my student has filled out the form and, if so, has done it correctly?
Answer: You will need to speak directly with your student to verify that he or she has filled out the form and to learn exactly what information your student has provided to the University. Students may update their emergency contact information at any time by using the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form
Call Related Questions
Question: How frequently will the University use this system? Will the University use this system for other types of messages besides crisis alert?
Answer: While the University will test the system bi annually, at this time the University has determined that Panther-Alert emergency messages will only be sent during times of emergency, when there is extreme danger or risk to the campus community. The University does not plan to use this system to communicate non-emergency messages; the university will continue to use traditional communication methods in those cases.
Question: If I get an alert that there is a crisis at the University, whom should I call for more information?
Answer: The University will try to provide a source for additional information when it is available. For example, you may be directed to the University’s Web site, or to check your email for follow-up information. Please remember that during an emergency, the safety of our campus community members will be our primary concern, and any use of Panther-Alert will initially address that constituency.
Question: How does the Panther-Alert system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?
Answer: For busy signals, the call will be repeated several times in an attempt to reach you. The same is true for No-answer and Call-waiting. If the phone is answered by a message recorder, the message will be left on the answering device. If, after several attempts the call does not successfully go through, the system will stop attempting and report your number to be busy.
Question: I provided multiple phone numbers, email addresses and SMS, which device will I get the message first?
Answer: Panther-Alert delivers messages to phones, emails and SMS independently and simultaneously. That means if we were to send emergency messages, it will be delivered to all your available phone numbers at the same time; which means you may have your mobile and work/home phone ring concurrently. Email and SMS deliveries are dependent on your service providers and in most cases, they come through quite fast.
Question: I received the message but I missed the information. What should I do?
Answer: While on the call, you can replay the message by pressing the star key (*) at the end of the message. You may also check your email to locate the link for that message.
Question: I received the message but it kept looping/repeating. Why?
Answer: The system does its best to detect whether it has reached a live person or an answering machine. Sometimes loud ambient noises may cause the system to loop. If this happens, use the mute feature on your phone or move to a quieter location to prevent the message from looping or repeating.
Question: I see a caller ID display of xxx-xxx-xxxx. Who is this?
Answer: When the University sends a call out using Panther-Alert, it will always display Caller ID information. Please save this number on your cell phone to represent Panther-Alert calling.
Question: I provided the phone number and I have verified that it is correct. The call report indicates that you are reaching me live at that number. Why do I still not receive any calls from you?
Answer: This might happen if you have call forwarding activated to forward calls to another phone number or voicemail, by deactivating this feature, you should resume receiving messages from us.
Question: I received the calls at my mobile and my home phone but my campus phone call came much later, why?
Answer: The campus phone system can only handle a limited number of simultaneous incoming calls. If we call all numbers at once, it is going to result in busy signals.
Question: I received the message in my email inbox, but when I clicked the link to play the message nothing happened. Why?
Answer: You may not have a default media player like Windows Media Player or Quicktime installed. Download these players from Microsoft or Apple and install on your computer to listen to messages.
Answer: While the University will test the system bi annually, at this time the University has determined that Panther-Alert emergency messages will only be sent during times of emergency, when there is extreme danger or risk to the campus community. The University does not plan to use this system to communicate non-emergency messages; the university will continue to use traditional communication methods in those cases.
Question: If I get an alert that there is a crisis at the University, whom should I call for more information?
Answer: The University will try to provide a source for additional information when it is available. For example, you may be directed to the University’s Web site, or to check your email for follow-up information. Please remember that during an emergency, the safety of our campus community members will be our primary concern, and any use of Panther-Alert will initially address that constituency.
Question: How does the Panther-Alert system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?
Answer: For busy signals, the call will be repeated several times in an attempt to reach you. The same is true for No-answer and Call-waiting. If the phone is answered by a message recorder, the message will be left on the answering device. If, after several attempts the call does not successfully go through, the system will stop attempting and report your number to be busy.
Question: I provided multiple phone numbers, email addresses and SMS, which device will I get the message first?
Answer: Panther-Alert delivers messages to phones, emails and SMS independently and simultaneously. That means if we were to send emergency messages, it will be delivered to all your available phone numbers at the same time; which means you may have your mobile and work/home phone ring concurrently. Email and SMS deliveries are dependent on your service providers and in most cases, they come through quite fast.
Question: I received the message but I missed the information. What should I do?
Answer: While on the call, you can replay the message by pressing the star key (*) at the end of the message. You may also check your email to locate the link for that message.
Question: I received the message but it kept looping/repeating. Why?
Answer: The system does its best to detect whether it has reached a live person or an answering machine. Sometimes loud ambient noises may cause the system to loop. If this happens, use the mute feature on your phone or move to a quieter location to prevent the message from looping or repeating.
Question: I see a caller ID display of xxx-xxx-xxxx. Who is this?
Answer: When the University sends a call out using Panther-Alert, it will always display Caller ID information. Please save this number on your cell phone to represent Panther-Alert calling.
Question: I provided the phone number and I have verified that it is correct. The call report indicates that you are reaching me live at that number. Why do I still not receive any calls from you?
Answer: This might happen if you have call forwarding activated to forward calls to another phone number or voicemail, by deactivating this feature, you should resume receiving messages from us.
Question: I received the calls at my mobile and my home phone but my campus phone call came much later, why?
Answer: The campus phone system can only handle a limited number of simultaneous incoming calls. If we call all numbers at once, it is going to result in busy signals.
Question: I received the message in my email inbox, but when I clicked the link to play the message nothing happened. Why?
Answer: You may not have a default media player like Windows Media Player or Quicktime installed. Download these players from Microsoft or Apple and install on your computer to listen to messages.
SMS Related Questions
Question: How do I opt-in to receive text messages from my school?
Answer: You can opt-in by providing a text-enabled phone number via your school’s web portal or registrar’s office.
Question: What happens after I sign up (opt-in)?
Answer: Panther Alert automatically sends a text message to that phone with a confirmation request during business hours (10am – 6pm PST). The confirmation message will read the following: Panther Alert: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP 3737" to opt-out.
Question: I did not receive a confirmation request. What happened?
Answer: Check with your mobile phone company to find out if your phone can receive text messages and if you are subscribed to a text messaging plan.
Question: I have text messaging enabled on my mobile phone and I have received a message indicating that I am now confirmed to receive text messages and there is no need for me to respond. What should I do next?
Answer: You do not need to do anything at this time.
Question: How do I opt-out?
Answer: The easiest way is to visit the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form and remove the SMS phone number from the form. This allows you to stop receiving text messages from us. You may return at anytime to resume text deliveries. However, you may also opt-out permanently by texting “STOP 3737” or “QUIT 3737” to 23177. This STOP method will prevent any messages from being delivered to you regardless of whether your Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form indicates an SMS phone number.
Question: What if I opted-out but later decide I would like to opt-in again?
Answer: You may request to begin receiving text messages by texting “SUBSCRIBE 3737” to 23177. The Panther Alert service will then re-initiate the opt-in process and send you a confirmation.
Question: What number will Panther Alert text messages come from?
Answer: 23177 or 63079
Answer: You can opt-in by providing a text-enabled phone number via your school’s web portal or registrar’s office.
Question: What happens after I sign up (opt-in)?
Answer: Panther Alert automatically sends a text message to that phone with a confirmation request during business hours (10am – 6pm PST). The confirmation message will read the following: Panther Alert: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP 3737" to opt-out.
Question: I did not receive a confirmation request. What happened?
Answer: Check with your mobile phone company to find out if your phone can receive text messages and if you are subscribed to a text messaging plan.
Question: I have text messaging enabled on my mobile phone and I have received a message indicating that I am now confirmed to receive text messages and there is no need for me to respond. What should I do next?
Answer: You do not need to do anything at this time.
Question: How do I opt-out?
Answer: The easiest way is to visit the Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form and remove the SMS phone number from the form. This allows you to stop receiving text messages from us. You may return at anytime to resume text deliveries. However, you may also opt-out permanently by texting “STOP 3737” or “QUIT 3737” to 23177. This STOP method will prevent any messages from being delivered to you regardless of whether your Chapman University Emergency Contact Information Form indicates an SMS phone number.
Question: What if I opted-out but later decide I would like to opt-in again?
Answer: You may request to begin receiving text messages by texting “SUBSCRIBE 3737” to 23177. The Panther Alert service will then re-initiate the opt-in process and send you a confirmation.
Question: What number will Panther Alert text messages come from?
Answer: 23177 or 63079