VCU Alert emergency notifications will go to all university inboxes starting Oct. 23

By Jake Burns
VCU Police

The emergency alerting system at Virginia Commonwealth University – called VCU Alert – provides the VCU and VCU Health community with urgent, actionable notifications when a situation may impact the VCU community.

To ensure these messages are accessible to everyone, all VCU-issued email addresses will be automatically enrolled in the university’s emergency notification system beginning on Thursday, Oct. 23.

Emergency notifications communicate active incidents (like crime, extreme weather, power outages or major traffic disruptions) that may pose a safety risk or operational impact to community members. They provide concise, direct information about the situation and any protective actions that can immediately help community members make informed decisions about their safety in the moment.

An example might look like this: “VCU ALERT. Traffic impact at W. Broad St and N. Belvidere St. Police on scene. W. Broad St. closed until further notice. Avoid the area.”

VCU students, faculty and staff are already automatically enrolled in VCU Alert text messages. By automatically enrolling VCU email subscribers, this new change will ensure all VCU community members receive timely safety information via multiple channels, enhancing the university’s ability to respond quickly during an emergency event. VCU Health email users are already automatically enrolled to receive alert messages.

“This additional step has been taken to ensure that students, faculty and staff receive important messages regarding safety at VCU,” said John Venuti, associate vice president for emergency services and public safety at VCU and VCU Health. “The safety of everyone at VCU remains a top priority.”

VCU Police and campus safety officials do not issue emergency notifications unless the incident has been confirmed.

All VCU-owned email addresses will be automatically enrolled for VCU Alert emails at the start of each month.

The VCU Alert text messages and emails are part of a multichannel system for communicating emergency information to students, faculty, staff, visitors and the surrounding community. The system also includes emergency sirens, Alertus boxes, mass email, digital signs, desktop alerts, the LiveSafe app, the VCU Mobile app and the VCU Alert website.

VCU Alert messages – via text, email and on alert.vcu.edu – were listed as the top safety initiative that increased a feeling of safety at VCU, according to the 2025 VCU Perception of Safety survey. This expansion of the VCU Alert tool only enhances the public safety infrastructure at VCU.

Anyone can visit alert.vcu.edu to learn more on how to respond to different types of emergencies.