The rise of a new smartphone app has made its way to Ouachita’s campus. The safety purposes included in the app are a modern approach to keeping the Ouachita family safe by accessing your data in times of emergency.
Dr. Welsey Kluck, vice president for student services, explained that this app has two components, the first being the use of an online service called Smart911. While functioning separately from the app, Smart911 services operate by allowing a subscriber to create a profile of information.
“Put any information that you may want all the way down to your dog’s name,” Kluck said. “You can put health issues, family names, and anytime you call 911 on your smartphone, all your information pops up on the screen in the 911 office.”
Kluck went on to explain that any 911 dispatch with the software capacities can access this information when a 911 call is made. Not every law enforcement community has this ability, but Kluck assured that most do at this point in time. The service is GPS activated, meaning that it can be used anywhere in the United States.
The second component is the use of the Rave Mobile Safety App, or more often called, The Guardian App. Having been developed over the past five years, this app made its way to campus in January of 2016.
“Ouachita pays a yearly fee for this, but all you have to do to get this app is have an OBU ID and email,” Kluck said. Account setup on the app can be tied to your Smart911 information, but aside from 911 options, this app offers the availability of the OBU Safety Office at your fingertips.
If you are unable to make a 911 call, you can simply click the link, “Call 911,” or “Call OBU Safety.” This account information allows you to sign up “guardians” who will be notified of your status when they have signed up on the app. “This can be your mother, your roommate, anybody you want to name,” Kluck said.
A number of features associated with the functions of The Guardian App create a plan for personal protection and safety, one of the most valuable, according to Kluck, being the Safety Timer. This can be used for any number of everyday activities. Kluck further clarified, “If you go jogging, set a timer for 25 minutes and don’t make it in that time, it will ask if you’ve made it. If you don’t respond, it will then notify your guardians that you haven’t made it. Eventually, it will notify Campus Safety, who can find your location.”
The “Report a Tip” option button will allow you to send anonymous tips to the Campus Safety Office, regarding any number of safety concerns. The office will be able to communicate back for more necessary information, but will only know your identity if you allow them to. If you choose to unmark the anonymous option, it will allow them to see your information. “We’ve had it used for a few things around campus, such as noise complaints,” Kluck said.
The emergence of this app at Ouachita came from Kluck’s desire to add some extra safety measures. “I felt that we were not adequately provided with enough protection through our current systems,” he said. “So I researched and called around last fall, and decided that this is what we wanted. It mainly provides an extra layer of protection besides just calling Safety.”
According to Kluck, there is no security concern regarding personal information. No information other than what an individual includes in a profile will be accessible unless otherwise allowed. Almost 50 percent of the nation’s universities use this software, providing a new level of comfort to its young adult users.
For more information regarding the use of the Guardian App or Smart911 services, contact Dr. Kluck in the offices of the Student Center, located across from the Safety Office.
– By Julie Williams, Copy Editor
