Even during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, other forms of campus safety have never been too far on the back burner at Ohio University. While the long-used Blue Light Emergency Phones are being phased out in Athens, the university has shifted to a more modern way to keep students, faculty and staff feeling secure. It’s the appropriately named “Bobcat Safe” phone app.
Bobcat Safe is available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. It offers in excess of 50 features, including advanced location services, emergency resources, crime reporting, and interactive maps. It also includes “an unlimited number of push notifications for the university’s Athens campus,” according to an OU news release.
The app works whether you live in an OU residence hall or an off-campus Athens apartment or house.
Safety App Reflects a True Collaboration
The project represents a collaboration between OU Student Senate, the OU Police Department, and several university departments. They include Information Technology, Student Affairs, Emergency Management, and University Communications and Marketing. It was launched during the 2019-20 school year.
In a September 2020 article on University Communications and Marketing’s news-site, Janie Peterson, interim president of OU Student Senate, explained how it works. “The Bobcat Safe App can help Ohio University students by connecting them to safety resources and campus support services. We encourage all students to download the Bobcat Safe App and use any resources they may need. Campus safety is incredibly important, and the Bobcat Safe app can help students stay safe.”
Among other features, the Bobcat Safe app includes a “walk with a friend” feature that allows users to designate a friend watch them walk home. It also features an emergency chat function. Instructions on how to download the Bobcat Safe app are available at https://apparmor.apparmor.com/clients/ohio.edu/
Police Chief Talks Up Safety App
In an August 2019 article on OUPD’s web page, Police Chief Andrew Powers explained how the Bobcat Safe app came into being. He said that in 2018, OU Student Senate broached the idea with the OUPD for a cell-phone app that would make the department’s services more accessible and available to students and others.
During fall semester of 2018, according to the article, OU students were surveyed in order to learn what they’d like to see in a safety app, something that would best fit their needs. “The selected product, AppArmor, is a customized mobile safety app branded specifically for Ohio University,” the article said.
In the article, Police Chief Powers said he thought the app was a great idea. “… Cell phones have become ubiquitous, and we do not see the standing ‘blue light’ phones getting used as they were intended.”
Powers explained some uses for the Bobcat Safe app. “It will allow any OHIO student or employee with a cell phone on the Athens campus to have emergency resources and information at their fingertips while on campus.” He thanked multiple campus groups for working on the safety app, including Student Senate, Information Technology, Student Affairs, Emergency Management, and Communications and Marketing.
Student Senate on Board With Safety App
In the article, Alicia Lundy-Morse, then vice president of Student Senate, predicted that Bobcat Safe would become the main source for information involving safety on campus. She singled out the “walk with a friend” feature.
“Bobcat Safe will be a great tool for students on the Athens campus to feel safer and more informed about campus resources,” she added in the article. “Student Senate is extremely grateful for the opportunity that we had to serve on this committee and be the student voice through the process of getting the app up and running.”
Bobcat Safe was piloted on the Athens campus during the 2019-20 school year. OU planned to explore expanding it to regional campuses after the pilot ended.
An article in the Ohio University Post’s new student orientation guide in May 2020, about sexual assault awareness and prevention services available to students. It covered Student Senate’s efforts in this area, including the Bobcat Safe app.
Raising Awareness About Safety App
In the article, Maxeen Ramlo, then women’s affairs commissioner for Student Senate, talked about efforts to raise awareness about the app with students. “… We’re trying to get students to download it,” she said in the article. “It’s such a great resource for sexual assault resources, (the Ohio University Police Department and the Athens Police Department), and mental health resources as well are in there. It has a lot of safety features.”
She explained that the app was designed to be a “one-stop shop” for sexual assault resources. They included as previously mentioned: “Features that allow students to call 911, chat with an OUPD officer and share locations with friends, all from the app, and includes information about the university CATS Late Night shuttles that students can use to get home safely.”