Only 10 percent of faculty and 38 percent of students have registered their cell phone numbers on Access in case of an emergency. Faculty Senate President Gary Evans shared the statistic at this semester’s general faculty meeting held Aug. 29.

For the university’s new response systems to be effective, the school needs more participation from both groups, according to Evans.

President R. Gerald Turner further elaborated by discussing the measures SMU will take in the event of a shooting, violent weather or chemical disaster.

“The tragedy of Virginia Tech last spring has certainly underscored the need for the entire university community to be alert to answer problems, and for there to be methods of reporting incidents that would raise concerns,” said Turner.

According to Turner, commitments were made during the summer to create a redundant notification system for emergencies. For anything or anyone posing a threat to SMU, notifications will be sent via campus sirens, police vehicle speakers, bullhorns, public address systems and runners. Turner emphasized that cell phones and text messages are critical in reaching students.

“Webmail may be great for us, but we need other forms of communications to reach our students,” he said.

Flyers will also be placed in each classroom this fall. Turner said the flyers will define terms such as “lockdown” and “shelter in place,” and describe the procedures that need to be taken for a particular emergency.

Aside from campus precautions, Turner also discussed the status of the Bush Library. According to Turner, negotiations are still taking place.

“We’re getting close,” he said. “A large part of the delay involves lawyers thinking, ‘Well, what if this happens or that happens?’ “

However, Turner was pleased with the selection of Robert A.M. Stern as the architect for the library. Stern is the dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and also owns an architecture firm.

Other topics discussed at the faculty meeting include enrollment figures, the need for more women and minorities on the tenure track and goals for the drug task force. No new information was given regarding the status of the task force’s work.