Public Safety Update: Knight Alert Test, Guardian App - October 28

Knight Alert Test

In order to ensure that our emergency warning notifications – Knight Alerts – are working correctly and being received by all students and employees of MGA, the MGA Police Department and the Office of University Marketing and Communications will be performing a test of the Knight Alert system on Thursday, October 28 at 1:00 pm.  At that time, students and employees whose contact information is up-to-date in the SWORDS system should receive a text, email, and voice call.  Anyone who has downloaded the Guardian App should also receive an app notification at the time of the test.

To make sure that you’re receiving Knight Alerts when they’re issued – in the event of an on-campus emergency, when severe weather is approaching, or when the situation requires one or more campuses to be closed – please make sure to update your emergency contact information in SWORDS no later than Wednesday, October 27 in order to receive the test notifications.

If you don’t receive any of the notifications during Thursday’s test, please email marketing@mga.edu to let us know.

Guardian App

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to download the Guardian app for your mobile device.  With Guardian, you can easily connect with MGA’s public safety officers and find helpful information about keeping yourself and your classmates and coworkers safe.

In the Guardian app:

• You will receive push notifications any time a Knight Alert is issued
• You can submit anonymous tips to MGA Police or ask questions about public safety issues
• You can submit a single-click emergency notification that will alert MGA Police to a dangerous situation and bring immediate assistance

If you’re installing or have already installed Guardian, here are a few important tips:

• Make sure location services are turned on for the Guardian app.  If you have an emergency and need to summon help, the app can help first responders locate you – but only if you have location services enabled.
• The “Emergency” buttons are only to be used in an actual emergency – when there’s immediate danger of harm to a person or significant hazard to property.  In non-emergency situations (traffic accidents, lockouts, etc.), use the “Report Non-emergency” or “Call MGA Police” buttons, instead.

The Guardian app is available for Android and iOS.