As of Jan. 31, Asbury University Safety & Security implemented the Campus Shield safety app for students and faculty. Campus Shield offers improved communication between campus, Switchboard, and Safety & Security staff. The app includes an array of features for reporting incidents and keeping your friends updated on your safety status, all immediately accessible from an intuitive home screen.
In the event of an on-campus security issue, an emergency swipe button is included, similar to the one implemented on most smart phone home screens. When a student swipes this button, Switchboard is alerted to the student’s location, while a Switchboard operator calls the student to find out how best to take action. Be advised that Safety & Security does not consider this feature a substitute for 911, and its location finder does not work as well inside buildings.
Students can submit tips on suspicious behavior directly to Switchboard, who will be available to communicate directly with them. Tips can be easily categorized under descriptors such as “criminal activity” and “drug use.” The feature even allows for tips to be submitted anonymously. However, Safety & Security Director David Hay advises against this, in order to “verify the nature of the concern more easily, which saves time and resources.”
Other features include a location tracker, through which a student can set alerts in the event they haven’t arrived at an intended location within a set time frame; an area map that identifies campus evacuation points; and a shortcut to call a safe transport from Switchboard.
Campus Shield’s implementation at Asbury follows the discovery of Apple Air Tag devices tracking some students’ phones on Jan. 28. These devices are intended to be used for locating lost phones. However, the devices can be hidden among others’ possessions, allowing them to track people if placed in backpacks or purses.
“If you have concerns about the technology or believe there is an anonymous tracking device near you and need help identifying it, please feel free to contact IT Services,” Hay said in a campus-wide email addressing the devices. “And, if you find an AirTag in your possessions and it doesn’t belong to you, then you should contact the Switchboard. Safety & Security staff will contact you and would be happy to assist you in contacting law enforcement. Apple provides a way for law enforcement to discover the owner of an Apple AirTag. It’s not truly anonymous (at least not to Apple and law enforcement).”
