UI officials stress safety net

The #HawkeyeSafe Campaign urges students to take advantage of the resources that the University of Iowa offers.

Ava Gripp, [email protected]

August 28, 2017

Police respond to a call of shots fired on the Ped Mall on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. An initial call came in around 1:30 a.m. where officers immediately responded. No University of Iowa students were injured. Two men are in custody and will be charged in relation to the events of Sunday morning. (Joseph Cress/The Daily Iowan)

In the aftermath of the crimes committed this weekend in Iowa City, the new #HawkeyeSafe campaign by University of Iowa officials, hopes to be of genuine use to students.

The #HawkeyeSafe is described by Assistant Vice President and Director of Public Safety for the University of Iowa, Scott Beckner, as “looking out for each other. If you go out in pairs, you should come back in pairs. If you go out as a group of five, come back as a group of five. Don’t let anybody get left behind.”

This campaign was planned prior to the recent events in downtown Iowa City.

During the early hours of August 27, several shots were fired in the alleyway between the Sheraton Hotel and Martini’s Bar. Later, a robbery took place on East Market Street where the UIowa Hawk Alert system informed students via their university emails that it was a “robbery at gunpoint.”

RELATED: Hawk Alert: Shots fired near Sheraton hotel

The program is a tool students can use to keep themselves safe – Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are places that students can search the hashtag to gain more information on what the UI is doing to increase safety.

Even a quick Google search of #HawkeyeSafe will direct you to a webpage that provides safety tips and links to resources.

Beckner wants to strongly urge students to use the Rave Guardian mobile app. With the app, students always have someone available to make sure they make it home safe. The app also allows students to text anonymous tips to law enforcements if they suspect anything suspicious or want to report a crime.

RELATED: Public Safety opens Nite Ride to all genders

If an immediately dangerous situation does occur, students can hit the panic button where they are then directed to 9-1-1 or the number for the UI Department of Public Safety.

NiteRide, a university busing program, may also help students stay safe with a technology boost. The TranslocRider app lets students request a ride while showing where the NiteRide buses are located along the map. The map includes the limits to the Iowa City NiteRide system as well. In addition, it is now co-ed, so any student can hitch a ride from 10p.m. to 6 a.m., daily.

Hayley Bruce, spokesperson for UI Department of Public Safety, says the department now aims to achieve more communication.

“The goal of (it is) breaking down communication barriers between students and police,” Bruce said. “The hope is that building positive relationships with students will help to reinforce healthy decision-making and ensure everyone feels safe and supported.”

In the aftermath of the crimes committed this past weekend in Iowa City, one witness to the shooting that occurred near the Sheraton wonders if the new #HawkeyeSafe campaign will be of genuine use to University of Iowa students.