UAA’s new safety app is worth raving about

In August 2021, the University of Alaska started using the smartphone safety app Rave Guardian. It replaced the existing app, UAA Safe. It’s full of features to keep you informed and safe on campus. Whether you would like someone to keep an eye on you while going for a walk, or just want to have the poison control number handy, this app has you covered.

The interface is simple and straightforward. You can do things like set a safety timer, call 911 or UPD’s non-emergency number, share your location with law enforcement and see the latest campus updates.

Speaking with the Chief of the UAA Police Department, Jeff Earle, he said that the University of Alaska was already using the Rave Platform for managing campus alerts, so switching over to the Rave Guardian app made sense. With the Rave Platform, “we had an app we were already paying for” and moving over allowed for streamlined communications between the two systems.

The texting function lets you message and send pictures to UPD dispatch directly with problems or concerns. Earle confirmed that it is, in fact, UPD on the other end of the chat. This may be useful in a situation where it is unsafe to speak aloud, or you just want to let someone there is a moose hanging around Rasmuson Hall.

Earle recommends calling 911 in any emergency situation, on or off campus. APD will coordinate with UPD dispatch if the emergency is on campus.

There are some interesting features on the app as well.

The safety timer lets you pick someone to watch over you, for a specific period of time. You can share your location with a contact on your phone (they don’t need the app), or UAA dispatch. Your selected guardian can see your location and receives an alert to check on you when the timer ends. Canceling the timer will end the alert. With shorter winter days, this could bring some piece of mind for those walking around campus in the morning and evening.

If you want to have important health or safety information available to first responders, the app lets you update your profile information with things like medical information, campus address and emergency contacts.   

For students and faculty who need to make a report regarding maintenance, fraud, sexual harassment, insurance claims, student behavior, IT, etc., UPD has set up links to official reporting channels.

There are also links to the UAA Emergency Operations Plan and annual security and fire safety report.

The app has a directory of phone numbers people may find useful. Just to name a few: the UAA campus operator, parking services, National Suicide Prevention Hotline, poison control and UAA Center for Advocacy, Relationships, and Sexual Violence.

UPD has the ability to update links and tools available in Rave Guardian, and encourages feedback.

Earle strongly encourages everyone on and off campus to download the app. Guardian is another way to get campus updates, and its integration with the Rave Platform means faster and more reliable communications. As Earle described, it “adds another layer to communicate” campus updates and alerts. It can send a push notification, getting out important information when other apps may be silenced.

Rave Guardian is used by the entire UA system, so if you are traveling between campuses, you can select your location and receive local updates.

The biggest benefit of the app, according to Earle, is having all these tools and resources “within one app, on your phone, in your pocket.”

The Rave Guardian app is available for free and can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store.