Campus Safety on your phone

By Dana Nialis

After an initial attempt with little participation, Campus Safety is reintroducing an anonymous texting service to Santa Clara.

TipNow is a system that enables anyone to anonymously report hazards and leave tips for Campus Safety via text message.

Users can also ask questions regarding incidents around campus.

It can be used to report anything from the depression of a friend to a known drug dealer in the residence halls.

"Its purpose is to provide another means for communicating with Campus Safety and the university," said Charles Arolla, director of Campus Safety. "It will acknowledge your tip, and then it will forward that information on to us, and we will act on it, whatever the tip involves."

During the initial phase of the program's implementation, Campus Safety received many questions regarding incidents, such as whether or not a rumored robbery had actually occurred.

Philip Beltran, assistant director of Campus Safety, pointed out that these questions do not go unanswered.

"Most people just want to know immediately, by text, did something happen? And we get right back to them," he said.

When the 24-hour dispatch receives a tip or inquiry from a student via text, it sends that person a response, giving as much information as possible.

If the incident is one that occurred off campus or is not related to the university, the response might also suggest that the student contact the Santa Clara Police Department for further information.

Junior Jessica Rice said she couldn't imagine ever sending a text message to find out if something is true.

"I would hope the Campus Alert System would let me know," she said.

Campus Safety has not received any tips as a result of the service's activation, only inquiries.

The inquiries numbered about half a dozen, Arolla said.

Freshman Alex Louie said he thinks the service makes sense, but is unsure if it will really be utilized.

"Texting is easier, and people appreciate that," he said. "I would probably call Campus Safety if something were really that important."

Beltran said he believes that is due to the fact that students are unsure about what the service actually is, and they are worried about what will happen if they do leave a tip.

Arolla said he hopes to diminish these fears by making students more aware of the fact that the service is completely anonymous.

"Without having to provide your name, you can provide us with the information," he said.

He hopes that students will begin to utilize the service as a means to report incidents.

"What we are trying to explain, too, is that it is for providing information, as opposed to asking questions," Arolla said.

While they do not know if the service will lead to the report of more incidents, Arolla and Beltran think that with students' help, they can acquire more information about the incidents that are reported.

"We think that we may get more information sources about the same incident, and that would be good," said Beltran.

To help inform students of this new program, as well as to provide instruction for the usage of the service, Campus Safety has issued handouts about it, which are posted in all of the residence halls on campus.

When Louie, who lives in Swig Hall, saw a flier for TipNow, he said he dismissed it as just another flier.

"I just read fliers while waiting for the elevator," he said.

An e-mail will also be sent out to the Santa Clara community to ensure that the information about this service reaches as many people as possible.

The service is already fully operational and available for immediate use by students.

Students who wish to leave a tip or inquire about an incident should send their texts to scu@tipnow.org.

Contact Dana Nialis at dnialis@scu.edu.