While the initiative will have multiple parts, IUSA will focus on two ideas to start: revamping IU Safety Escort and implementing a safety button.
“As the student government, we are really concerned about students being safe,” Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Ingoglia said.
A team of freshmen interns presented the senior staff with the idea of a safety button app. The app would allow students to share information regarding their name, location and phone number with the IU Police Department.
If a student is in an unsafe situation, he or she can press the button and share all information that would be communicated within the first few minutes of a 911 call, Ingoglia said.
IUSA is currently looking into how they can partner with LiveSafe, an existing app similar to the idea of a safety button.
Although IUSA is unsure which app to use and how exactly it will work, a demo for the app will hopefully take place next week, Ingoglia said.
“We want to help the perception of campus safety and really make the campus feel safer at any time of day,” Ingoglia said.
The second part of the Safety Suite includes revamping the IU Safety Escort. Chief of Marketing Miko Siewenie is working with people from Safety Escort to increase its funding and make it more accessible to students.
Through a safety survey sent out last semester, IUSA found most students either did not know about Safety Escort or did not use it. Students’ complaints included a long wait time, the maximum of two students per ride and the lack of late hours.
While Siewenie works with Safety Escort, she will also be working with other IUSA members to look into a program the University of Southern California uses that partners with Uber. This program would provide students unlimited free rides later into the night.
While Safety Escort’s hours run only until 1:45 a.m., a partnership with Uber could provide students with rides until 3 or 4 a.m., Siewenie said.
“Every student should be able to get home safe,” she added.
Although no exact timeline is set for either the safety app or Safety Escort, Siewenie said all work should hopefully be done before the next administration takes office in April.
Along with the Safety Suite, Chief of Staff Sara Zaheer plans to work with administration on other safety concerns.Zaheer will attend Campus Community Coalition meetings and talk with administration about safety issues students have and how to go about fixing them.
“As the student government, it’s our responsibility to mention issues in places where we can,” Zaheer said.
Zaheer and other members of IUSA will also be working at the state level to be a part of changes to the Indiana Lifeline Law. Zaheer said these changes could potentially cover anyone who calls 911 under the influence of drugs as well as alcohol.
Zaheer said it will be interesting to see how decisions made at the state level will affect students at the college level.
As all of the details for these programs are ironed out, Siewenie said any students with ideas or recommendations are encouraged to reach out to her or other members of IUSA.
“We don’t have all the answers,” Siewenie said. “We are representatives, so it is good to see what students have to say.”
