Emergency Notification Systems

The Department of Public Safety has the responsibility to respond to such incidents and to determine if the situation does in fact pose a threat to the community.  If that is the case, Federal Law requires that the institution immediately notify the campus community or the appropriate segments of the community that may be affected by the situation. 

Emergency notifications issued by the College are identified as “Midd Alerts.” Middlebury’s ENS system is administered through RAVE Mobile Safety, which provides us the ability to send messages simultaneously via text, email, and phone call. These notifications are sent when a confirmed emergency or situation represents an immediate threat to the campus community. 

Adding/Changing Contact Information in RAVE 

Students

In order to receive a cell phone call or SMS message, you must enter your cell phone number in BannerWeb. Follow these instructions to add your cell phone to Banner:

• Log into Banner Web: http://go.middlebury.edu/bw
• Select: Personal Information
• Select: Update cell phone for emergency communications
• While in the Banner Personal Information section, it may also be a good time to update your Emergency Contacts.

Faculty and Staff

In order to receive a cell phone call or SMS message, you must enter your cell phone number in Oracle Cloud. Follow these instructions to add your cell phone to Oracle:

• Log into Oracle: Oracle Cloud
• Select: Personal Information
• Select: Contact Info
• Update: Campus/Work number and Cell/Mobile number

In order to recognize the email, phone call or text message from Rave, please note important sender information.

• The text message will begin: “MiddAlert.” Texts will come from a 5-digit number, typically 672-83
• The phone call will come from: 802-388-0409 
  • Please save this number to your phone as it may come up as “Spam” otherwise. Please remember that if your phone is on Do Not Disturb mode, this notification may not come through. Most phones allow you to make rules or exceptions to your Do Not Disturb mode, which allows specific numbers to bypass. Please make sure you include this number on your bypass list.
• Emails sent through RAVE will come from middlebury@getrave.com, noreply@ravemobilesafety.com, no-reply@ravewireless.com, or middlebury@getrave.com 

Emergency Web Alert System (MiddAlert.net)

The Emergency Web Alert System was created to assist with the rapid dissemination of emergency information to members of the campus community and the general public. The Emergency Web Alert System is comprised of two distinct parts.

1. In the event of an emergency, authorized administrators can activate emergency notifications on the College’s primary website, http://www.middlebury.edu. These notifications may display information or redirect to MiddAlert.net.
    
2. MiddAlert.net is a high-availability website, hosted by Google that is used by authorized administrators to post current information about emergency situations at the College. MiddAlert.net is not dependent on the College’s IT infrastructure in any way.

It is important to note that ENS messages reference MiddAlert.net as the source for updates about emergency situations at the College.

Lightning Detection System

The College updated their lightning detection system in the Summer of 2024. 

To modernize and provide additional protection to the College community, as well as the larger Middlebury town community, the updated system will cover a wider area and be more powerful. Additional coverage areas will include the newly refurbished softball and baseball stadiums and the upcoming tennis complex. In addition, coverage will be added to the center of campus and further West on Route 125, to include the Knoll. This system has historically been limited to the Ralph Myhre Golf course and athletic facilities.  

By mid-summer, members of the College and the larger community will hear the alerts from the newly installed alert system. The system will provide an audible alert indicating that a potentially dangerous lightning producing storm system is approaching the Middlebury area. If you are outdoors near campus and hear an alert, you should safety immediately stop what you are doing and seek shelter. A second set of horns will sound when the danger has passed.  

It is the College’s intent to set sensible limits on the days and times the horns will operate. For example, the system may be silenced overnight unless the College has a significant outdoor event occurring during those hours.  

Timely Warnings

In compliance with the Clery Act, the Middlebury College Department of Public Safety also issues “Timely Warnings” when certain Clery Act-designated crimes have occurred or are occurring on campus property, properties controlled by campus-affiliated organizations, or public property immediately adjacent to campus when it is determined that there is a serious or continuing threat to the campus community. Timely Warnings are intended to prevent similar crimes and to provide information that will assist community members in protecting themselves.

Public Safety may send other community-wide messaging as well. Examples include crime alerts that don’t constitute a Timely Warning (example, a crime occurs that is not considered a Clery Act crime, such as thefts from multiple vehicles) or weather alerts should severe weather conditions be expected.

For further information on the college’s emergency notification procedures, including factors that are considered when sending notifications, please see Middlebury’s Annual Security Report. 

External Emergency Notifications

Subscribe to VT-Alert to receive emergency notifications from local and state responders on topics such as: severe weather advisories, evacuation information, shelter in place alerts, and roadway interruptions.

More information can be found here.

Subscribe to the Town of Middlebury’s emergency notification system by texting “HI” to 802.388.8100  

More information can be found here.