Syracuse University should consider implementing a safety tool that would give students the option to “check in” on mobile devices during campus emergencies.

The system could be modeled after Facebook’s safety check, an option that was activated during Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. More than 4 million people used the tool to mark themselves as “safe,” “unsafe” or “not in the area.” The safety check then generated statuses that would appear on their friends’ news feeds and notifications, according to CNN.

For SU to consider installing a system based on Facebook’s model would be a progressive move to create an additional option for students to be able to notify their emergency contacts, as listed on Myslice, during a campus lockdown or other dangerous situation.

If the university were to move forward with the creation of this safety tool, it must ensure that the process of “checking in” is a quick, easy-to-use process for students to use in potentially high-stress situations.

This could be achieved by incorporating the option into the Orange Alert system, in which students would receive a text asking them to respond with their SU ID. Once the student’s SU ID is received and accounted for in the system, their family members would be notified of their safety by email and/or text message.

Because students’ first instinct in an emergency situation may not be to reach out to their families via the Orange Alert system, “checking in” should not be required of students. Instead, the system should act as a supplemental resource for students to communicate the status of their safety with their families.

While the creation and implementation of a university platform of this type is not immediately needed on the SU campus, it is a viable option for the university to consider for future use, and could even become a project for students in the School of Information Studies.

But if the university is to implement a “check in” system, it must ensure the process acts as a streamlined opportunity that is useful for students as an efficient resource in emergency situations on the SU campus.

Published on November 16, 2015 at 12:08 am

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com