The conversation surrounding campus safety has taken a technological turn at UNC by way of a smartphone app.
Rave Guardian, a campus safety app, turns mobile phones into personal safety devices and gives students a virtual security network as they navigate campus.
The app allows students to set a safety timer, share their status and location with “guardians,” or contacts that the student trusts, and connect directly to campus police via an emergency button.
The process of bringing the app to UNC was initiated through UNC Student Affairs.
Campus police chief Jeff McCracken said the University has had a relationship with Rave for a number of years and has been collaborating on the app for quite some time.
“It was first carrier-based, which was not highly successful because if you didn’t have the particular cell phone carrier, then it didn’t work,” he said.
The program then changed to an 800 number service before evolving into its current app form, said McCracken.
“It is really just progress and development of an existing safety project,” he said.
McCracken said that though he hopes students never have to use this app, it should give them greater peace of mind as they walk around campus.
“As technology evolves, emergency alerts will evolve,” he said. “It is never static.”
Though McCracken has high hopes for the app, some students say they are unsure about its functionality on campus.
“It seems good in theory, but doesn't seem like an actual deterrent or preventative measure,” Mackenzie Koppenhofer said. “Also, I feel like the police force doesn't take attacks on women seriously enough. Not just here, but in the entire nation.”
Sophomore Audra Killian said in an email she thinks the idea is generally positive, but she expects problems in the first couple of months after the app has been launched.
“In relation to sexual assault, this is sort of misleading, since the majority of rape is committed by a peer,” she said. “I think for incidences, such as burglary, mugging, or even shootings, it will help people become more aware of what they should do in those type of situations and describe to them where the safest places are.”
Junior Sophia Catanoso said she is glad the app has been created.
"Of course I wish that it didn't have to come to this, but I'm happy to see that the university and campus police really care about our safety," she said. " It seems nice to be able to communicate with friends and family via the app as well as local law enforcement."
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