The University of Florida will require students to submit their cell phone numbers for emergency notifications starting this week.

The university already gives emergency notifications through e-mail and Web site updates.

University officials say a cross-campus text messaging service will allow for quicker and more effective communication. Students registering for spring classes will be asked to provide the information before they can

UF’s vice president for student affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin says university officials want to be able to reach students on the device they use the most — their cell phones.

The emergency contact service will be administered by Mobile Campus. It is a company that already allows campus organizations to send text messages to students.

Post by Pierre