Pitt replaces Rave Guardian app with new safety app, PittSAFE

Starting this fall, Pitt is replacing Rave Guardian with PittSAFE, a new public safety app — but some students say they remain unaware of the app and other campus safety resources. 

PittSAFE is Pitt’s newest public safety mobile app, allowing Pitt students, faculty and staff to quickly contact Pitt Police and access safety resources. The updated platform includes new safety features, easier accessibility for guests and a Pitt-branded design and color palette. 

Pitt Digital and the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management worked with Pitt’s vendor partner, RAVE/Motorola Solutions, to transition to AppArmor, the technology underlying PittSAFE. PittSAFE is the Pitt-branded version of AppArmor.

According to University spokesperson Meredith Herndon, the transition will allow for enhanced safety features and Pitt branding, including a Pitt-branded color scheme.

“This move provides the Pitt community with a modern, Pitt-branded platform that will benefit from ongoing development and feature enhancements by our vendor partner,” Herndon said.

PittSAFE features several safety tools, including “Virtual Walkhome,” which allows students to monitor their locations and easily connect with Pitt Police dispatchers, “Friend Walk,” which allows students to share their location and trigger an alarm if they are in an unsafe situation and “I’m OK,” a feature that allows users to send updated check-in messages to pre-selected contacts following an emergency.

“Not only does PittSAFE offer robust new features and an improved user experience, but its launch has been an intentional and collaborative effort between the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, Pitt Digital, and other University departments,” Herndon said.

The app also offers a guest mode for community members — such as parents, visitors and vendors — who do not have Pitt accounts. 

Herndon said user engagement with Rave Guardian fluctuated from year to year, and she expects PittSAFE’s new features and user experience will enable greater engagement with the University’s safety resources. 

However, awareness of PittSAFE and other Pitt public safety resources, such as the blue light phone system and SafeRider, remains uneven among students. 

Addison Grace Hand, a first-year mechanical engineering major, said that she was uncertain about the effectiveness of the blue light phone system, which are located around campus and ring directly to Pitt Police.

“I like the idea of the blue lights, but I don’t know how well that would actually work,” Hand said. “But I like having the peace of mind that I can walk [safely] at night.”

Hand said that she learned about PittSAFE through her involvement with a student organization as opposed to widespread University outreach.

“It needs to be marketed a little bit heavier, especially to upperclassmen. They don’t have orientation or anything, and a lot of us skip out on our emails sometimes,” Hand said.

Stuti Aryal, a first-year neuroscience major, learned about PittSAFE during first-year student orientation. She said Pitt could make information about safety resources more engaging and widespread. 

“I feel like when they have everyone in a big auditorium and they’re just talking about it, people aren’t going to pay attention,” Aryal said.

Alexa Lerer, a senior special education major, is starting her fourth year without knowing about the Rave Guardian or PittSAFE apps. She instead relies on Pitt’s school-wide ENS text alerts, along with social media and email, to stay informed during emergencies. 

Still, students who do know about Pitt’s safety resources spoke positively of them. Chelsea Cornwall, a sophomore psychology major, said Pitt could do more to promote PittSAFE but appreciates the safety resources the University provides.

“It’s a big city campus, and I think that Pitt provides good resources,” Cornwall said. “They’re doing good for what they can.”

Aminata Conteh, a first-year neuroscience major, said Pitt’s safety resources are useful but that information about them could be easier for students to find.

“I think the safety app and resources are pretty good. Like, if you look for it, it’s just not in your face,” Conteh said.