Frequently Asked Questions

About the Bethel Alert System
Submitting Your Contact Information
About Bethel Alert Voice Messages
About Bethel Alert Text/SMS Messages

What is the Bethel Alert System?
Bethel University's emergency notification system, called Bethel Alert, will enable us to communicate with you quickly in the event of an emergency. The Bethel Alert system will send messages to your Bethel email address and up to six phone numbers that you wish to provide. (Note: Messages will be automatically sent to campus phone numbers for employees, seminary students in campus housing, and public phones in residence halls.) The Bethel Alert System can also send a text message to your cell phone. Standard text messaging rates will apply.

I did not receive a confirmation message. What happened? Please check with your mobile phone provider to find out if your device accepts text messages. You may also want to check with your provider to see if text messaging has been enabled. You may need to subscribe to a text messaging plan in order to receive or reply to text messages. 

The Bethel Alert System utilizes the Connect-ED communication service by NTI Group, Inc. More than 150 campuses use the Connect-ED for higher education service.

In what situations will a Bethel Alert be sent?
A Bethel Alert will be sent only to inform you of an imminent emergency, such as a fire, threat of violence, chemical hazard, or of significant other events such as a school closing, snow emergency, or power outage. Test messages will also be sent approximately once a semester.

How do I submit or change my contact information?
There is an online form where you can submit your contact information. Go to http://www.bethel.edu/bethel-alert/ and click on Contact Information Form.

What contact data should I submit?
You may submit up to six phone numbers, including the number for one text messaging device. We strongly encourage you to submit as many methods as possible to increase our chances of reaching you in the event of an emergency.

What will happen if I don't submit my contact information?
Bethel Alerts will always be sent to your Bethel email address as well as to campus phone numbers for employees, seminary students in campus housing, and public phones in residence halls. However, these methods of communication are not likely to reach you as quickly as a call to your cell phone, so you are encouraged to submit your cell phone and/or other appropriate phone number(s).

Is my contact information secure?
The contact information submitted for the Bethel Alert system will be kept private and confidential. It will not be shared with other entities, but used only by Bethel University to communicate with you in the case of a school closing, emergency, or snow emergency.

I received a Bethel Alert voice message but missed the information. What should I do?
While on the call, you can replay the message by pressing the star key (*) at the end of the message. You may also check your email to locate the link for that message.

I received a Bethel Alert message on my cell phone but it kept looping/repeating. Why?
The system does its best to detect whether it has reached a live person or an answering machine. Sometimes loud ambient noises may cause the system to loop. If this happens, use the mute feature on your phone or move to a quieter location to prevent the message from looping or repeating.

I received the message in my email inbox, but when I clicked the link to play the message nothing happened. Why?
You may not have a default media player like Windows Media Player or QuickTime installed on your computer. Download these players from www.microsoft.com or www.apple.com and install on your computer to listen to messages.

I see a caller ID display of 651.638.6777. Who is this?
When Bethel sends out a call using the Bethel Alert System, it will always display caller ID information and the phone number 651.638.6777. Please save this number on your cell phone so you recognize calls from Bethel's Alert System.

What number will text messages come from?
Bethel Alert text messages will come from 23177.

Will I be charged for text messages?
Yes, standard text messaging fees will apply.

What happens after I sign up for text messaging?
After you add your text messaging phone number to the Bethel Alert System, you should receive a confirmation message the following business day.

What will the confirmation message say?
Bethel Alert: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP Bethel" to opt-out.

I did not receive a confirmation message because my phone wasn't text enabled. I have since contacted my mobile phone provider to enable it. Do I need to receive another confirmation message? No. If your SMS phone was already submitted to our database, you should be confirmed to receive SMS alerts from us. However, you may also test to find out by texting the word "SUBSCRIBE" to 23177 and you will receive a reply with the following:

Bethel Alert: This phone number has already been opted in. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP Bethel" to opt out.

I have questions not answered here. Who should I call? Please call the ITS Help Desk at 651.638.6500.