Today and tomorrow, students will have something besides their iPods to listen to on their walk to class.

A loud voice will be broadcasted from several locations on campus, alerting people that an emergency mass notification system test is in progress.

The tests are part of a $250,000 system called the Modulator Siren Series that Ohio University is considering implementing. If the university chooses to install the system, the program would be operational by April.

OU President Roderick McDavis came up with the idea shortly after the Virginia Tech University shootings April 16, said David Hopka, assistant vice president for Safety and Risk Management.

“It gives us another very important channel of communication to students, visitors and staff in the event that we have a critical incident,” he said. “This will allow us to get specific information out quickly.

”The Modulator, produced and installed by Federal Signal, will project a digitally recorded announcement from high-powered speakers mounted on top of a truck.

“It has the capability of doing high-quality voice as well as a standard siren tone or signal,” said Jamie Musulin, manufactures representative for Federal Signal Corp. “It also has a battery back up system.

”The eight possible testing sites include places near Nelson Commons, Walter Hall, Peden Stadium, The Ridges, Stocker Center, Chubb Hall, Seigfred Hall, Perkins Hall and West State Street Research Park.

Pending the success of the testing, six or seven of the sites will have the speakers permanently installed.

The speaker system is another emergency communication plan the Critical Incident Response Team — a group of university employees that meet with the purpose of devising effective leadership plans during emergency situations — is testing.

“We don’t want to fatigue people with emergency messages. We will only use it when it is really appropriate,” Hopka said, adding that the university will construct a policy for the system.

Other communications systems brought to the university by the response team include CATVision alerts, emergency Web messaging, e-mail and text message distribution, and emergency telephone hotline.

Other college campuses that already have the Modulator are Clemson University, Francis Marion University, Liberty University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.