Help is just a tap away with Safe Broncs app

By Kaitlyn Seawood

Rider will soon launch a campus safety app called RAVE Guardian, known on campus as the “Safe Broncs” app, offering students a quick and accessible way to contact Public Safety, share their location with trusted contacts and access emergency resources — all from the convenience of their phones.

The app was introduced during the Student Government Association’s town hall meeting on April 3 and is set to be demonstrated during the final senate meeting of the semester on April 24 by Vice President of Facilities and University Operations Mike Reca.

Since the announcement, student leaders have begun highlighting the app’s key functions and potential impact. Among them is junior computer science major and incoming SGA president Moira Geiger, who emphasized how the app’s design prioritizes both safety and accessibility.

“You can turn on tracking for Public Safety to see your location, but its geofencing will only be within the campus radius,” said Geiger. “But you can request for help directly from Public Safety if you need it.”

Students will also be able to share their location with friends or family outside the Rider community and access contact information for other campus resources, such as the Health and Counseling Centers.

Public Safety Director Matthew Babcock noted during a student-led press conference on April 9 that the app will link to Rider’s online reporting forms for Public Safety, Title IX and the Counseling Center. An emergency preparedness database will outline what to do in situations like a shelter-in-place.

While the app is expected to go live over the summer, Babcock confirmed that it will not include a two-way communication feature or allow Public Safety to notify students individually about parking violations. However, student leaders hope this is only the beginning.

“I think two-way communication could be a really good factor of the app, it would take time to be built in and get approved,” said Geiger. “I think if it’s something that’s continuously brought up, eventually it could be something in the app.”

The app will cost the university around $125,000 annually to operate, according to Chief Financial Officer James Hartman. 

It is designed to be accessible to everyone on campus not just students and staff, and will deliver emergency notifications.

“It’s a much more efficient and better system,” Reca said. “It’s used at I think 75 or 80 other colleges across the country. You’ll be able to tap and contact Public Safety immediately on the app.”

Reca emphasized that privacy is still a priority, “We’re not just going to be like big brother watching you. You have to request it and say, ‘Hey, it’s dark or I don’t feel great walking back from my car.’”

Geiger, whose current role in SGA as the vice president of university affairs involves oversight of health, safety, academics and facilities, regularly meets with Reca and Babcock at university operations meetings. Those meetings, alongside SGA’s facilities committee, are where concerns like parking, sidewalk cracks and lighting get addressed.

“[Facilities] does a very good job at attending to what we say to them,” she said, highlighting how student voices are heard. “The more feedback we get from people on the app, the better it’s going to be to serve the rest of the students.”

While Babcock is new to his role, Geiger said he has already expressed interest in collaborating with SGA in the summer and fall.

 “Matthew Babcock hasn’t been in the job for more than a few weeks, but hopes to meet with us in the summer and fall to create a coherent plan,” Geiger said.

Babcock has begun focusing on campus infrastructure improvements, with updates to parking signage already underway, a direct response to issues frequently raised in facilities and student operations meetings, Geiger explained.

Geiger emphasized that while the app is still in its early stages, Reca and his team are encouraging students to use it regularly and share feedback to help improve its features over time. 

Geiger said “This will be a new app with bugs, and there will be things that need to be improved along the way.”