Student compliance

Motivating students and faculty to opt into campus-wide text messaging

Implementing your text-messaging system is vital. You want as many students as possible to opt in because the wider the participation, the more effective the communications. Here are some possibilities:

• Get parents involved. Send each student's family a letter explaining the system, its importance and enrollment instructions. If your system allows parents to opt in as well, let them know. With parental concerns about student safety at an all-time high, enlist their help in getting their children signed-up.

• Make the sign-up part of each term's registration process.

• Use this opportunity to enroll your students in campus-wide text messaging.

• Use student-run enterprises to alert the student body. Run ads in the student newspaper. Offer school administrators information on the importance of the system and its features.

• Put student run sign-up booths around campus: students are more likely to listen and respond to other students.

• On the first day of class each term, have student representatives help other students through the steps required to get set-up for the system.

Let students know the system has other day-to-day uses such as class information, changes in assignments or meeting times, as well as alerts involving special events, news regarding sports, grades, concerts, plays and lectures.  Most importantly, these messages can save students' lives in emergency situations.