All Pitt students on the Oakland campus will receive texts when an Emergency Notification System alert is sent out beginning Jan. 16. 

ENS alerts are messages from the University of Pittsburgh Police Department “when there is timely and actionable information during an emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students and employees.” 

Students will receive the texts at the cell phone number associated with their Pitt accounts. They can opt out of the messaging or change the phone number by following the steps listed here. 

Previously, students could opt into receiving messages but were not enrolled by default. The change comes after complaints and calls for change in the wake of the Hillman shooting hoax last year. ENS notifications will also continue to be sent out via email to Pitt accounts.