Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to download Rave Guardian, a personal safety app.

OSU provides personal safety resources for students and staff

Friday, August 7, 2020

As part of Oklahoma State University’s commitment to campus safety, the OSU Department of Public Safety adopted Rave Guardian in 2019, a free mobile app that turns any smartphone into a personal safety resource.

The Rave Guardian app can be downloaded in the Apple or Google Play app stores; search for “Rave Guardian.” You can also learn more at www.raveguardian.com. Anyone who previously downloaded Rave Guardian is asked to update the app to the latest version.

“Rave Guardian provides the personal safety resource features our campus community has come to expect as well as new features,” said Michael Robinson, chief of public safety for OSU. “It will work seamlessly with our current Cowboy Alert system, which is also a Rave product.”

How does the Rave Guardian app work?

New user? Register and set up an account: Users can add their name, campus address, medical notes and other pertinent information for campus safety in case of emergency.
Add and message guardians: By adding roommates, friends and family to their network, users can feel safer when walking alone, on or off campus. Emergency contacts can also be messaged directly through the app.
Set a safety timer: In the event a student feels unsafe, they can set a timer with their current location, indicating where they are going and when they should arrive. If they do not make it there and de-active the timer, their guardians or campus safety will be alerted.
Send anonymous tips or request a SafeWalk: See something, say something. The app allows users to anonymously text suspicious activity to campus police, including photos.

SafeWalk was launched In 2014, employing and training students as public service officers to walk with anyone from one campus location to another from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week. Outside those hours, police officers will walk with students, faculty and staff to their next destination, but timing could depend on call volume at the time. Use the Rave Guardian app’s chat feature to request a SafeWalk or click the SafeWalk icon in the app to place a request by phone.

The Rave Guardian app is also in use at OSUIT in Okmulgee, OSU Center for Health Sciences and OSU-Tulsa. When visiting a different institution, use the settings wheel in the upper right corner of the app to choose a different campus.

MEDIA CONTACT: Shannon G. Rigsby | Public Information Officer | 405-744-9081 | shannon.rigsby@okstate.edu