Starting July 1, Washington University in St. Louis will offer its students, faculty and staff a new, free phone-based app designed to address and promote personal safety both on and off campus.
WashU Safe was developed by Washington University’s public safety departments and Office of Operations and Technology Transfer, with software assistance from AppArmor Mobile. It uses the latest mobile and GPS technologies, with enhanced features that include important safety alerts and instant access to campus safety resources.
“We are pleased to offer an enhanced set of safety features for the Washington University community to continue our leadership in this space,” said Dedric Carter, vice chancellor for operations and technology transfer. “The combined team of staff at the medical school and Danforth public safety; emergency management; and the operations and technology transfer group at Washington University have completed a yearlong process of engagement and evaluation to launch this tool.”
The new services offered via WashU Safe include:
- Friend walk: Send your location to a friend through email or SMS on your device. Once the friend accepts the Friend Walk request, the user picks a destination and the friend tracks their location in real time to make sure they arrive safely.
- Mobile blue light: If you are in crisis on campus, it will call Washington University public safety and simultaneously send your exact location in real time for an immediate response.
- Safety notifications: Receive notifications and instructions from Washington University when emergencies occur on or near campus.
WashU Safe is free to download, available for Android and iPhones. As of July 1, the university will no longer use the Noonlight app.
Visit safeapp.wustl.edu for more information.
