When students are on campus at any time, the idea of safety is not always on their minds. In fact, many students might admit that they don’t know what precautions or actions to take when it comes to staying safe at Idaho State University. It is crucial that everyone is informed and educated on what to do in case a bad event such as a fire or an active shooting occurs. Thankfully, Public Safety is there to ensure that all students, staff and faculty are safe. Idaho State’s Public Safety has many services provided that each person should take the time to look into so that they know what action to take in the case of an emergency.

Public Safety is located on the Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Meridian campuses. According to their website, their goal is to “provide a peaceful and secure environment reasonably free from the threat of physical harm, property loss and disruptive activity; and to promote mutual cooperation and conflict resolution in establishing a positive atmosphere in which effective learning and social interaction can take place.” All students are somewhat familiar with Public Safety considering that their building is where you register bikes and obtain your parking pass. However, what students fail to realize is that they also provide different services and ways to educate proper safety guidelines and steps.

There are general safety tips that Public Safety encourages as well as specific ones such as what to do if you experience a burglary, assault, stalking and more. They also have a long list of directions for how to handle different threats. Most students and faculty are familiar with ISU Alerts, which can be enabled in BengalWeb if it is not already. ISU Alerts is “an emergency notification system for quickly delivering phone, text and email messages to Idaho State University students, faculty and staff when there is an emergency.” It will send you notifications of emergencies on campus such as weather conditions, crimes, campus closures and more. 

Something that many people don’t know is that there is a mobile app called RAVE Guardian that helps anyone on campus stay safe. The app is free and offers the ability to set a safety timer to notify guardians of their whereabouts if they are alone or in an unfamiliar area. It also has an emergency button that you can easily push that will call Public Safety and will provide the user’s information and GPS location if they are in trouble. There is an option to text or take pictures of something that someone finds unusual as well. Ultimately, this is a great app that everyone should download to keep others and themselves safe. 

Services that most didn’t know existed were training programs and opportunities. Public Safety’s Campus Watch is “a program for university housing residents that is based upon the Neighborhood Watch program.” Students are also educated about safety through New Student Orientation, New Employee Orientation, workshops, seminars, dorm meetings, newsletters and pamphlets that target individual areas of concern. If you want to attend a training presentation, you can schedule by calling (208)282-2515. 

Staying safe on campus is something that everyone should practice and be knowledgeable about. With better education on this topic, you might be able to help someone in case of an emergency. If you would like to contact Public Safety, their email is pubsafe@isu.edu. However for major emergencies, please call 911. Hopefully you will find it useful to learn about campus safety.