Increased crime in Madison and the specter of last year's Virginia Tech shootings have made campus safety a top priority at the University of Wisconsin. While the UW population always hopes a large-scale emergency won't occur here, administrators have insisted the campus is prepared for such an incident. Last week, this claim was tested — not once, but twice.

On Tuesday, Jesse A. Miller, 19, called UW police Tuesday, claiming he was at a UW hospital parking ramp, armed and ready to be killed by a police officer. UW police took immediate action, clearing the UW Health Sciences complex and issuing a mass e-mail alert to students and faculty to stay out of the area. After an extensive search and investigation, the alert was lifted and classes continued the next day, uninterrupted.

Three days later, the UW campus was again placed on alert after an armed robbery took place near the Southeast end of campus. Once again, UW police acted quickly, ordering a lockdown of the administrative building at 21 N. Park St., as well as Ogg and Smith Halls.

UW officials' prompt and effective reaction to these threats has proven the strength of the university's security protocol. With safety risks that could have easily led to misinformation and panic, the rapid response of UWPD and campus administrators led to effective crisis management in both situations.

While we commend officials on their handling of each situation, we would suggest a minor tweak to their response repertoire. While mass e-mail alerts reach every student and faculty member's inbox, not everyone will see that e-mail. There is one other option that could allow UW to notify students at a moment's notice: text-messaging their cell phones.

At St. John's University in Queens, N.Y., last week, a man approached campus with a rifle in a plastic bag. Students were informed of safe locations and security protocol via the university's emergency "Text Message System," minutes after police were alerted. The man was quickly apprehended, and no shots were fired.

The UW campus would be wise to follow the lead of St. John's and other universities that have established this procedure. Not only do text message alerts reduce campus response time, they're a cost-efficient security solution. According to The New York Times, estimates for other university's text-messaging systems hover around $25,000, a small amount considering the disaster it could prevent.

Last year, UW administrators discussed the possibility of implementing a text message alert system in cases of campuswide emergency. We think it's a good policy, provided the simple caveat that the program be voluntary, allowing students to opt-in.

It seems common sense for UW officials to employ an additional layer of security for students and faculty. Given recent events and the campus climate, it's not only justified — it's necessary.