Even though college campuses are supposed to be safe for everyone, students are still concerned about their safety.  At the University of Texas at Austin, a wave of petitions have been made, asking for the university to support  student safety on campus. While there are groups for walking late at night with a buddy, there are also mobile apps for your phone to assist in keeping you safe. 

Story by Angela Bonilla

Companion App

The Companion App allows your family and friends to virtually accompany you as you walk.  If you do not feel safe at your location, you can also contact the police through the app. The app uses your contacts and allows you to choose who you would like to accompany you.The app then contacts the selected contact through a text. If the person says “yes,” the app notifies you and gives them your location. Your companion is shown a map to follow where you are going.

SafeTrek App

Safe Trek is an app that is similar to the Companion App but instead, it can immediately alert the police. The app allows you to press and release the button when you are not feeling safe and the police will know your exact location when they are notified. There is also the option of pressing down the button and giving a pin once you are safe. This app can be less scary than calling the police, especially in a dangerous situation.

Circle of 6

Circle of 6 is a mobile app originally created for college students to prevent sexual violence. This app lets you choose who you want to be in your circle and pins your exact location. You can call or text a person in your circle as well. One feature of Circle of 6 are numbers to different national hotlines that are based on your situation, such as National Suicide Hotline.

OnWatchOnCampus

OnWatchOnCampus  has won a safety award from the White House. This app allows you to  plan where you are going and keep in touch with family and friends as well as campus police or local police for help. First, you  choose who you would like to “watch” you.  The app can alert them via text, email, or FaceBook message. The app has a 30day free trial. The regular fee is either $0.99 per month or $9.99 per year.

CampusSafe

The CampusSafe app is a safety and security app for students on campus. This app allows  college, university and K-12 schools to inform, report, or assist people. The app lets you customize it to your preferences with colors and images and works with your university. Depending on where you attend, the app has phone numbers of campus police, web-site links, or even campus tweets.