Cumberland University announced it is offering personalized security to students, faculty, and staff through the Rave Guardian app as well as other enhanced campus security measures.
Out of more than 100 colleges and universities in the state, Cumberland University is one of only 26 to offer the free emergency alert system to its campus community as supplemental security. Although CU has enjoyed a reportable incident rate that is already far below that of many other institutions, as a result of recently instituted upgrades in strategic campus security systems, campus incident reports have been even further reduced by 58% in the last 15 months.
“Cumberland University means a lot to my family and the community,” said Director of Safety and Security Scotty Lewis. “Rave Guardian, paired with our new facial recognition camera system, is cutting-edge technology that will evolve as the needs of our community grow.”
Scotty Lewis joined Cumberland University’s Campus Security in 2019 after serving 34 years in law enforcement as a special agent, chief of police and police officer.
Rave Guardian will send text and email alerts to the campus community about a wide variety of incidents including bomb threats, severe weather, and active shooters. Prior to Rave Guardian, students were able to use code blue phones on campus during an emergency. Now, they have access to their own personal panic button on their phone that will notify Campus Security of their location, even if they are unable to speak.
Additionally, a safety timer feature allows users to send a message to anyone they choose, notifying them that they are walking from class or on their way home. If the user does not click “arrived” within the set time, their chosen contact will be prompted to check on them.
Cumberland Campus Security emphasizes the importance of users registering for this app with their personal cell phone in order to receive alerts in real time. Users can also enable location tracking, which will only be visible to Campus Security. When the panic button is pressed, appropriate emergency response services (e.g., ambulance, police) can be immediately dispatched to the correct location.
“Cumberland’s security team is passionate about providing the safest campus environment possible,” said Cumberland University President Paul C. Stumb. “Rave is groundbreaking technology that we are excited to implement and grateful to Director Scotty Lewis and his team for facilitating.”
To learn more about Cumberland’s Campus Security, visit https://www.cumberland.edu/student-life/campus-security/.