Security

New Rave Guardian Highlights Multi-Campus Usage

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/28/15

The latest release of an app that works as a personal safety device has added features specifically for users at universities with multiple campuses. Version 6.0 of Rave Guardian from Rave Mobile Safety allows an institution to set up separate app configurations for each campus that connects the user to the closest public safety resource. Reporting capabilities have also been boosted to work with aggregate and individual event history across a school and its locations for better needs analysis.

Available on November 1, 2015, the release also includes changes to the user interface. All safety actions now show up on the app's home screen — calling 911, calling campus safety, sending a tip or setting a safety timer. The company said that the new interface also improves on Rave's Section 508 compliance for users with vision impairments.

Rave's software is available as a managed subscription service. When installed on smartphones, the app lets users set a safety timer that will notify friends or family members designated as "guardians" to check on them should the timer go off. User-created profiles allow police and other campus safety personnel to review information about a person who requests assistance.

One campus that has already committed to adopting the new release is Florida State University. "The Guardian app is widely used by employees and students on the campus... It provides peace of mind and helps students feel safe knowing they have a tool that connects directly to the police if help is needed," said Chief of Police David Perry in a press release. "We plan to implement the latest version of the app to ensure the continued safety for our student population of 42,000 and more than 13,000 full- and part-time employees."

Other institutional users of Rave Guardian include Tulane University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Stony Brook University, among others.