Despite already being voted one of the safest colleges in the country by Alarm.org, the University of Louisiana Monroe is adding another string to its bow with the launch of the new campus safety app. The new ULM Safe app was launched on June 3 and enables students to report emergencies and notify campus police of dangerous incidents or suspicious behavior they may encounter on campus.

The evolution from mechanical, to wired, to wireless continues to impact the security industry, and higher education campuses are among the environments benefiting from the flexibility and efficiencies wireless solutions offer. While wired and mechanical solutions have their place on campus, wireless electronic locks complement these to expand the value of electronic security to more openings. To understand this value, Allegion’s Jeff Koziol explores the advantages of wireless in depth.

The decision of whether a university should upgrade its card technology remains one of the most popular discussions in the campus card space to this day. At CR80News, it’s easily been one of the most covered topics over the years, and in our 2012 coverage “Married to the mag” we tried to better understand why campuses were so reticent to make the switch.

Sacramento State University is in the process of installing card access readers at classroom entrances as part of a larger access control effort designed to improve campus safety. Sacramento State officials say the purpose of the new access control measures is for students and faculty to be able to shelter in place and allow for quicker lockdown in cases of emergency, specifically active shooter situation.

The recent death of a University of South Carolina student has reminded many to revisit the safety precautions around ride-sharing apps. Among those stressing important safety measures is the Marquette University Police Department, which recently issued a notice to its campus community reminding students to remain vigilant when using ride-sharing services.

In a recent addition to the company’s tech article series, ColorID’s David Stallsmith discusses the options at a university’s disposal should it decide to pursue open-source hardware and software solutions. Opting for open-source solutions can offer an alternative to the traditional practice of opting for card system vendor solutions and the comprehensive ecosystems that come with.

In 2017, the University of Georgia made the advancement of card technology a priority on campus. After long leaning on a combination of mag stripe and prox card technologies, the need to update and upgrade was more than evident. So UGA’s OneCard Oversight Committee examined its card environment from within, and focused its decision making on a desire to own the entire card system process — encryption keys and all.