ALAMOSA – Adams State University is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff. The campus community now has an award-winning uSafeUS app, to improve safety and reinforce consent and how to report sexual assault, relationship violence or stalking.
According to Heidi Schneider, Ph.D., inclusive excellence liaison, encourages students to download the app as the fall semester gets underway.
“uSafeUS helps us meet students where they are-on their phones- to communicate vital information about prevention and response. It supports our students throughout their time on campus in a safe, anonymous way, helping to ensure they have the resources they need, when they need them,” she said.
The uSafeUS app is designed for colleges and universities as a platform for preventing and responding to sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. uSafeUs provides interactive prevention features to help students leave risky or uncomfortable situations and to protect themselves or others when traveling alone. The research-informed, campus-customizable app provides help and guidance for victims or their supporters, with specially designed features.
uSafeUS was developed and enhanced using extensive input from more than 100 college administrators and 400 students. The uSafeUS prevention features include: Time to Leave lets students send themselves fake texts or calls, providing a reason to leave an uncomfortable social situation before it becomes dangerous; Expect Me lets students alert friends to follow them via GPS and to follow-up if they don’t arrive when expected; Sound the Alarm triggers a loud alarm and flashing lights from a cell phone if a student feels threatened; Angel Drink provides a way for students to discretely alert a bartender or server that help is needed.
The uSafeUS response features are based on more than 16 years of research into helping and supporting victims. Response features include Find Help provides fast access to medical help, public safety, counseling service, and more; Helpful Answers provides educational information in a question-and-answer format from the perspectives of victims, and their friends or supporters, including faculty and staff. What Next? Walks victims through options for care and reporting.
For more information, visit usafeus.org.
