SFSU Alert

SFSU Alert sends campus-wide notifications to students, faculty and staff during emergencies. This ensures our community receives timely information and situational updates, helping us remain safe and informed.

Note: all SFSU employees and students will receive emails to their SFSU email addresses from the University in the event of an emergency. SFSU email accounts will automatically receive SFSU Alert notifications and are unable to opt out. If you opt out of phone notifications, it will not affect your email notifications.

Any phone number connected to your campus profile in Gateway will automatically receive SFSU Alert notifications. Please provide a number where you are comfortable receiving text messages. Thank you for your cooperation in joining this important safety notification system and for recognizing the value of staying informed.

Frequently asked questions

For students – How do I opt-in for SFSU Alert text messages?

For Students who wish to opt-in for phone/text notifications, please follow the below steps:

Go to the Gateway Launchpad
Select to Student Center
Find “Contact information” under “My Personal Details”
Click on the link “Home Phone”
Use the drop-down menu to select the type of phone and enter your phone digits only

For U.S. phone numbers, please enter your number as 10 digits with no punctuation. For example: 4151231234.
For international phone numbers, please enter + then country code and full phone number, integers only. For example: +440173671000.
USA mobile phones can be sent text and voice alerts. International messages to mobile phones are delivered on a best effort basis.

When finished click the “Save” button

For faculty and staff – How do I opt-in for SFSU Alert text messages?

For Faculty and Staff members who wish to opt-in for phone/text notifications, please follow the below steps:

Go to the Gateway Launchpad
Select to HR Self-Service
Select “CSU Personal Details” button
Select “Contact Details” under “In this section”
Click on "Add a Phone" green button, which will bring up a pop-up window
Use the drop-down menu to select the type of phone and enter your phone digits only

For U.S. phone numbers, please enter your number as 10 digits with no punctuation. For example: 4151231234.
For international phone numbers, please enter + then country code and full phone number, integers only. For example: +440173671000.
USA mobile phones can be sent text and voice alerts. International messages to mobile phones are delivered on a best effort basis.

When finished click the red “Save” button

Why have an alert system when we already have alarms in campus buildings?

While alarms are an effective way to evacuate a building, other types of emergencies, such as severe weather or an active threat incident, may require people to shelter-in-place. The best way to notify the campus in this type of situation is through a mass notification system.

How frequently do “tests” of the system happen?

Testing of the Emergency Notification System and evacuation will be done at least once annually. The tests may be announced or unannounced to ensure that new students, faculty, and staff will have the opportunity to become familiar with the process and fully participate. An e-mail notice will be sent in advance of each announced test to allow people to update their contact information and to avoid any undue alarm.