Hello, lovelies! This is an article I wrote for The Collegian, which is Iowa Central Community College's student-ran newspaper. Hopefully, this helps you stay a little safer on campus!
xx Amanda
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Just last year, one in every four women were harassed, kidnapped or murdered because they were walking alone on or near their college campus. There are now three new smartphone apps available for free download to help prevent such tragedies: Companion, Circle of 6, and LifeLine Response.
Companion alerts the user’s chosen contacts to know that they are starting a journey from one destination to the next. The contacts or “companions” do not even need the app installed to watch their back.
Britni Scholtes, a second-year college student comments, “I am one of those college students who studies very late almost every night. I decided to download Companion because it is scary to be alone on campus at night when I am walking to my room from the library. Knowing that someone else, such as my roommate, can see where I am and how close I am to my room makes me feel a little safer, and if something does happen, they’ll be able to react right away.”
The app uses the phone’s motion sensors, so if their headphones are yanked out, it will send an alert to the user’s “companion.” Alerts are also sent if the user starts running or drops their phone. This app is for both iPhone and Android users, so anyone can stay safe. The creators of this app are a group of students from the University of Michigan.
“I’m a college girl walking home alone late at night a lot,” Lexie Ernst, a co-founder of Companion tells Today News. “It can be really scary sometimes. I wanted to change that.”
The Companion app has recently debuted to fulfill its safety tasks through the Apple Watch for those who are on the go and cannot easily access their phones. It is a useful tool to use when attempting to be discrete in discomforting situations.
The next app, Circle of 6, is similar to Companion. However, instead of notifying one contact, the user can notify six contacts. Just as Companion, Circle of 6 is available for both iPhone and Android user. The app beams the user’s exact location if the user is in trouble.
Scholtes says, “If you are not sure if someone is available to help, it is useful to be able to notify several people for extra back up. They can all make sure you are safe, even if some are farther away than others.”
The final app, LifeLine Response tracks user and can even call the police. To use this app, the student must keep their thumb on their phone screen throughout the entire journey. If they are in trouble or are feeling nervous, they need to take their thumb off of the screen, which sounds an alarm. A designated pin number must be typed into the phone within 20 seconds to stop the alarm from sounding.
Responders from LifeLine check up on the user to reassure safety. Using GPS from the user’s phone, LifeLine dispatches local police to arrive at your location.
Scholtes adds, “This app seems super useful when in an unnerving situation. Being able to contact the police and get help as soon as possible will help students safely get to wherever they are going.”
LifeLine Response also allows users to be social and help secure their neighborhood and surrounding areas by tagging suspicious activity and sharing it with those near them. This app is available to both iPhone and Android users.
These apps can be useful to anyone in uncomfortable situations, not just college students. These apps are free to download. LifeLine Response offers a 30-day free trial, and then users must pay $4.99. These apps will give parents and loved ones a peace of mind when they know their students are walking alone.
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