Put safety in your pocket: You probably don't know about Rave Guardian but you should

If you're walking alone at night" there's a service that will alert UNC police if you don't arrive at your intended destination on time.

The UNC Mobile Web site refers to this service called Rave Guardian" as ""a mobile blue light that you control.""

Students should take advantage of existing programs to promote their safety.

UNC Mobile brings the University's safety services to every student's pocket.

Students use their phone to alert the program at the start of their trips that they will be walking and how long the journey ought to take.

If something goes wrong and the student is not able to deactivate the alert" Rave Guardian notifies campus police.

This feature is an effective safety precaution for anyone walking back from a late-night class or a night on Franklin Street.

It's not a program that will bother you at any other time or allow Big Brother to look in on you when you haven't set the timer.

And the underused UNC Mobile program also allows quicker access to University services via cell phones.

It provides other convenient mobile capabilities such as Blackboard alerts and a mobile Web page. Users can customize their mobile pages with applications including UNC e-mail NextBus the UNC directory and The Daily Tar Heel.

But you don't have to add all those programs just to be safe walking at night.

And all a student needs to sign up is a cell phone number and an Onyen.

Just go to www.getrave.com/login/unc.

As technology that makes college life easier and safer UNC Mobile belongs on every student's cell phone.

Just to be safe.