UW unveils campus safety app: Rave Guardian allows travel timers, anonymous tips

“This is something that every student can use day in and day out,” said Ben Wetzel, president of ASUW, which is sponsoring the implementation of the app.

The app goes beyond offering a safety timer, however, giving students the option to broadcast their real-time location to guardians as they travel to class, the library or the dorms.

It also allows students to load the app with their personal and medical information so as to better assist first responders in the event of a medical emergency.

“Your safety profile is something you opt into,” Wetzel said. “You can put as little or as much information as you want. You can put in information as detailed as … if you own a dog or a cat — so that if you end up going to the hospital, they know to send someone over to check on your animals. It’s immense the amount of information that can go into your profile.”

On Nov. 12, UWPD received a report of a alleged sexual assault on campus.

“University police were informed early this morning that a female victim was walking across the (East Stadium) parking lot on Friday night when an unknown suspect tackled the victim and sexually assaulted her,” an all-campus email reads. “At this time, the victim in this case wishes to remain anonymous. Evidence has been collected in the event the victim elects to make a formal report at a later time.”

No charges were filed in connection to the incident.

On Nov. 20, a group of students walked out of class, gathering in Simpson Plaza to sign a petition demanding timelier handling of sexual assault allegations, notifications of sexual assaults occurring off-campus, more emergency buttons and better lighting on campus and greater police presence.

The protesters marched from Simpson Plaza — holding signs decorated with slogans and statistics — to deliver a signed petition to Old Main, the location of UW President Laurie Nichols’ office.

Wetzel, however, said discussion about improving campus safety predated the events of November, adding that ASUW first received a price quote from Rave Mobile Services and other companies with similar apps more than four years ago.

“It’s really not a response to those incidents,” he said. “A lot of this conversation started prior to this happening.”

The app also allows users to send in tips about everything from crime to water main breaks to the relevant authorities using text, photos, videos or calls — all with the option of anonymity. The new contract with Rave Mobile Services expands on a service the company already provides for UW — the university’s emergency alert system.

Previously, the only option for sending out an alert involved sending a text message to every number tied to UW’s emergency alert system, Wetzel said.

“Two years ago, right before Christmas break, we had the liquid nitrogen leak out of the side of the Physical Science (Building),” he said. “It rose to the criteria that they felt they needed to let people know, and so they sent out an emergency alert and half of our student population wasn’t even on campus anymore.”

If a similar situation occurs with the new system in place, UW will be able to set up a localized warning, Wetzel said, limited to a specific radius around the area of interest and in place for a specific length of time.

“Anyone who enters that radius during that time will get that notification,” he said. “It gives us more flexibility with our emergency alert system to let students know what’s happening on campus, but without necessarily having to send more of a mass panic by causing these big alerts to go out.”