University Of Alaska Anchorage: Upgraded: UAA's New Safety App Is Full Of Cutting-Edge Features

Press release from the University of Alaska Anchorage:

August 31, 2021

As summer comes to a close and fall semester begins, the University of Alaska Anchorage
Police Department (UPD) encourages students, faculty and staff returning to campus
to download the Rave Guardian App. The free app, found in the app store, offers users a wide range of services and
integrates seamlessly with the University of Alaska system’s (UA) existing Rave Guardian
emergency alert system. The app replaces the UAA Safe App and allows users to turn
their smartphone into a safety device.

“One of the things that's nice about this particular app, at least for us at the University
Police Department, is the integration that it has with the rest of the emergency alerting
system — it's not a standalone system,” said UPD Chief of Police Jeff Earle. Previously,
according to Earle, the UAA Safe App and the UA Rave emergency alert system were not
compatible. When it came to notifying the campus community regarding an emergency,
UPD had to update two separate systems. Now they can work on one platform that sends
messages out on multiple devices, whether a computer, mobile device or landline. “Because
it’s multilayered and multifunctional, we’re able to get messages out faster.

”Besides its multifunctionality, the Rave Guardian App offers students, faculty and
staff updated safety features and is quick and easy to set up. Earle said once someone
downloads the app, if they are already in Banner, UAA’s registry system, they can
share as much or little personal information with the app as they want. Earle says
this information aids UPD in helping an individual during an emergency.

“The app is designed to integrate with Banner, and you can tell the app what you’re
willing to share with UPD, like your name, cell phone number, if you have any medical
issue or allergies, your car information — you can pre-supply all of that,” said Earle.
“So in the moment of an emergency, we’re able to locate and help you more quickly.”

Additionally, the app offers updated features like: 

“There’s a lot of flexibility with this app, and it is another component that helps
with overall campus safety,” said Earle. “It gives people another tool to communicate
with the University Police Department that maybe they didn’t have before, or if they
had the old app, this gives them the ability to increase their communication with
UPD.”

With students, faculty and staff returning to campus after more than a year away and
National Safety Month happening in September, Earle said that in addition to encouraging
the campus community to download the new Rave Guardian App, he wants to remind everyone
of important general safety guidelines when on campus.

“We may not necessarily be your destination, but we are always here to help you,”
said Earle. “We’re always going to do our best to help students, faculty and staff.
Whether they’re navigating something tough and don’t know who to reach out to or need
assistance with a program or anything else, we will do what we can to help.”

This press release was produced by the University of Alaska Anchorage. The views expressed here are the author’s own.