The University will change its emergency text messaging service provider beginning Oct. 1.The system allows students, staff and faculty to receive emergency alerts or information via text message on their cell phones. University officials sent campus-wide alerts during Hurricane Gustav and after the on-campus double homicide Dec. 13.The current emergency alert system, ClearTXT, is no longer in the emergency communications business, said Sheri Thompson, Information Technology Planning and Communications officer.The University’s Emergency Operations Center will run tests Friday on FirstCall, the new text messaging service provider. FirstCall is a Baton Rouge-based firm with a national reputation for emergency notifications, according to IT Services’ Web site. The Board of Regents and other schools in the state use FirstCall.Students, faculty and staff won’t be able to sign up for the text messaging service after Wednesday until the tests are completed. More than 20,000 users are signed up for the system.To sign up, users must log in to PAWS and select “Emergency Text Message” listed under “Campus Community” in the left navigation bar.Users who are already signed up for the Emergency Text Messaging System won’t be required to sign up again for the new service. IT will transfer all the currently enrolled users Wednesday.Thompson said IT isn’t expecting problems with the new system, but users will be able to log in to PAWS and report problems if they did not receive the text message test alert.—-Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]