Published: Sept. 14, 2022

Whether you’re new to campus or a returning student, faculty or staff member, it’s important to be prepared to take action if and when emergency situations arise. This fall semester, you’ll notice some changes to our alert notification levels and the .

A new notification level called CU Advisory is for non-emergency events on the CU Boulder campus, and for both emergency and non-emergency incidents off-campus that could potentially impact the CU Boulder community, including power outages, road closures, evacuations and shelter-in-place orders issued near campus in the city of Boulder.Ìý

CU Advisories will be shared via social media and on our Alerts site.

The revamped clearly outlines the three levels of alert notifications. You can also watch a series of videos outlining how, when and why CU Boulder safety officials send out alerts.Ìý

A red CU Emergency Alert bannerCU Emergency Alerts

What it is:
Emergency notification to the campus when there is a confirmed immediate threat to the safety of those on campus or if there is a change to the university’s operating status due to weather, etc.Ìý

When we do it:
Emergency threats include natural disasters, active harmers, severe weather, time-sensitive life safety concerns, campus closures, delayed starts and other on-campus emergencies.

An orange CU Safety Alert bannerCU Safety Alerts

What it is:
Email notification to the community of a crime committed on or near campus that provides increased community awareness of ongoing or dangerous situations.

When we do it:
Safety Alerts include criminal homicide, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, hate crimes, domestic violence, arrests and referrals for drug, alcohol or weapons violations.

A yellow CU Advisory bannerCU Advisories

What it is:
Notification to the campus that does not rise to the level of an emergency notification or safety alert but is high-profile enough that our campus community benefits from awareness.

When we do it:
Campus advisories are for non-emergency events/incidents on campus or both emergency and non-emergency events off campus that could potentially impact campus, such as extended power failures, building evacuations, sudden road closures or other traffic/construction impacts on or near campus, as well as police activity near campus.

Are you registered?

CU Boulder students, faculty and staff with colorado.edu email addresses are automatically registered for notifications. Learn how to add a mobile number, update contact information and ensure you’re registered by visiting the .

Live off-campus in the city of Boulder or within Boulder County? The city of Boulder and Boulder County emergency responders distribute emergency alerts via a system called . Campus community members who live in the area are strongly encouraged to sign up.

Test of alerts system set for Sept. 15

As part of the continuous assessment of our emergency notification protocols and procedures, campus officials will test the CU Boulder alerts system at approximately 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15. Get details.