A test message from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's crisis alert system went out smoothly yesterday to students, faculty and staff at the O'ahu campus.

The message, sent at 11:55 a.m., went to mobile devices for 4,700 students who have signed up for the system, as well as 30,000 students, faculty and staff who have e-mail accounts that received the test alert.

"Everything went well," said David Lassner, UH vice president for information technology and chief information officer. "The e-mail was delivered. The text messages sent. The phone calls delivered. We're pretty happy with where we're at."

During the test, all students, faculty and staff were sent alerts by e-mail, text message and/or telephone. Emergency notification messages directed people to more complete sources of information via telephone or the Web.

The system was put in place after deadly experiences at two Mainland universities and a scare that occurred in October when a man threatened to shoot UH-Manoa students.

Not everyone who wanted to be contacted by text message received the message, however. And there remain students who don't want to register for text alerts.

Laura Saiki, a UH student, said she had signed up for the alert on her cell phone, but she didn't get one. She even received a confirmation text message on her cell phone when she registered, but no actual test message yesterday.

"It's extremely important to get the information, especially with past events like the shooting at Virginia Tech," Saiki said. "An alert would tell students what areas they should stay away from. Students all carry their cell phones. Not all students access their e-mail, but everyone has their phone on.

"I'm a little bummed."

Also at 11:55 a.m., Campus Security officers tested their vehicles' public address systems -— installed over the past year for use in case of emergencies — in the area of Hawai'i Hall and Varney Circle. In case of an actual emergency, Campus Security would use the loudspeakers to announce an emergency and warn listeners to evacuate or take cover.

Peter Hoffenberg, an associate professor of history, said he sees the notification as a potential life-saving measure, one that overcomes any concerns for privacy infringement.

"I support the notification this way, particularly if accurate information is provided about where and what the problem is," Hoffenberg said.

The first test of the alert system was on Feb. 20 with a message sent to 3,000 faculty and staff who had registered by giving UH their cell phone numbers.

The scenario for yesterday's test was to see if the word got out if something happened at UH-Manoa, Lassner said.

"No one method reaches everyone," Lassner said. "Our test was set up for UH students, faculty and staff, but not for the students at the University Laboratory School, which shares campus space with the university."

At some point in the future, the community at large and parents could be included in the alert system, he said. The university also is in the process of seeking bids to set up a siren system.

"These kind of systems are a requirement of being in today's world," he said. "You have to have access to communicate with people in case of emergencies. We only will use the system for imminent danger, or if there was something happening and they were loose on campus."