Randy Young, spokesman for DPS, said his office did not have any data on the number of students who have registered for the app but admits notifying students about it can be challenging.
“Those who have discovered it have had nothing but good things to say about it. It’s just a matter of getting the information out there about it,” he said.
More than 100 universities in the U.S. have implemented the safety app called Rave Guardian. UNC pays an annual $40,000 licensing fee for the app and an annual $10,000 for the company’s Smart911 program, according to documents obtained by The Daily Tar Heel.
UNC has worked with Rave for many years, initially launching a mobile app and a 1-800-service before this version. Students sign up using their UNC email account to connect to DPS services. It’s available on Android and Apple devices.
“I hadn’t heard of it before, but it sounds like a good thing. I don’t know if I would use it, though,” said freshman Madison Rex. “I would just text my roommate and let her know that I’m on my way back. I’d probably forget to deactivate it and someone would be worried about me.”
The app includes a feature designed specifically for students walking home.
The Safety Timer program allows users to set a timer when beginning a long walk at night and then deactivate the timer when they arrive at their destination. If the timer is not manually deactivated, DPS gets a notification. The Personal Guardians option allows users select a pre-appointed guardian, such as a roommate, to also receive a notification.
Young said using the app is safer than texting a roommate since it is directly connected to DPS.
