Campus Cards, College and University Identification and Security
CBORD: Securing buildings, transactions, and the bottom line. www.cbord.com

Chicago university seeks to boost campus safety with mobile phone alarm system

Monday, April 20, 2009

Chicago State University has launched a wireless mobile safety tool that can turn cell phones into location-aware devices that instantly connect users with campus police. Chicago State University is the first school in Illinois to install Rave Guardian that enables campus police to keep tabs on students who have signed up for the program.


CSU students, faculty and staff can register for Rave Guardian online, a process that includes their mobile numbers, the photo from their ID cards, physical description, pertinent health information and emergency contacts. When a student activates Guardian by dialing 911, this information–plus his location on the campus map–is automatically provided to campus police on a large plasma screen in the dispatch office and on laptops in squad cars that are patrolling the campus.

Rave Guardian complements CSU’s Rave Alert system, deployed in spring 2008. That system enables the University to react to and manage a situation by quickly sending emergency text alerts, voice messages and emails to the entire campus or specific groups. [end] 

In partnership with Google, Columbus State University in Georgia recently developed a mobile application for Android-based devices - that ultimately provides a substitute for the campus ID card. Students can use this app to check out books from the library and access student discounts at participating merchants.

read more »

The Palos Heights School District 128 in Chicago is using GPS technology to track its students allowing the district to keep up with the student–when he or she first entered the school bus and when the student exited the district’s care.

read more »

Western Michigan University has launched the registration for a new emergency communication system, WMU Alert, which is designed to place thousands of phone calls to students, faculty and staff in the event of an extreme campus emergency.

read more »

Duke University launched a mobile application for iPhones that enables students to find out news around campus, the closest dining hall and hours of operations. The university also wanted to add some campus card functionality to the app as well, says Matthew Drummond, director at the DukeCard Office.

read more »

Loyola University, Chicago, is offering more buying power for its students through the campus card program, allowing them for the first time to take the card off-campus at local dining establishments. The program will start small, focusing on a handful of restaurants.

read more »

Kyambogo University, located in Uganda, has introduced smart cards for students and developed a software suite that will organize and track all campus activities, according to the Daily Monitor.

read more »

Cardsmith