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Printer-Friendly ModeStudents voice concern over campus emergency stations
September 19, 2005 —
Students both on campus and off are beginning to question the value of six emergency stations placed throughout SVSU. Questions regarding their inability to report location, the University's job of informing students of their existence and use and other weaknesses in the system have left some worried that the stations will not be as effective as intended if an emergency were to occur.
The emergency stations were introduced to campus in 2001, when stations were installed in Lots B, E, F, J & R. Since, one additional station has been added, in front of the Regional Education Center when it opened in August 2003.
According to University Health & Safety Director Craig T. Maxwell, the stations were not added out of necessity but rather precaution.
"They were not put out there because of high crime rates," he says, "but to add an additional sense of security to campus,"
Prior to the emergency stations, pay phones were placed around campus to fulfill a similar purpose. Like typical pay phones, they required a charge to make phone calls, though there was no charge for calls to 911. Maxwell says the University tried to promote the phones for emergency use, but few people used them. And since other campuses around the nation were already utilizing emergency stations, SVSU decided to scrap the pay phone idea and installed the current units.
And while the purpose of the stations was to provide a sense of security for students, it could be a false sense considering the number that report knowing little to nothing about them.
Perception vs. reality
"You press a button and it sends an alarm to University Police," says senior Ryan Matthews. "That's about as much as I know."
The actual process differs from Matthews' perception. The stations are not alarms but rather telephones. Each box is equipped with a speaker and button that, when pressed, contacts the Saginaw County 911 dispatch. The county dispatch is contacted because they are available 24 hours while campus dispatch is closed between midnight and 8 a.m.
Once activated, the station operates like a typical 911 call, where the caller must identify their emergency and location. The dispatcher will keep the caller on the line while they radio to the nearest available officer. In most cases, that officer will be with the University Police, though there are no officers on duty between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. and an outside precinct may need to respond.
Students admit confusion on how the emergency vehicles know where to respond. Some are under the impression that the stations are equipped with tracking capabilities and that dispatch can tell which unit has been activated. That is not the case though, as dispatch must rely solely on someone on the other line to verbally inform them of the location.
Grand Valley State University has comparable emergency stations located by residential and academic buildings. According to Barbara Bergers, Public Safety director at GVSU, its stations are capable of reporting location and dispatch directly to University Police. Michigan State and Ferris State also report similar units, also equipped with tracking capabilities.
Maxwell admits that a tracking option would be nice, but cited limitations of the University telephone system for the reason it does not exist.
"We did look at some cost estimates (to update the phones) but it was really cost prohibitive," Maxwell says. He also indicated that changing the telephone system now would be particularly tricky, since the phone system on campus will be reviewed in the next few years and the University is hesitant to alter it now as significant changes could be made in the future.
Most students believe that, despite the cost, the change would be worth it.
"The University Police do a great job of keeping us safe," says Living Center North Residence Assistant George Davis, 19, of Houghton Lake. "But it would just be one more tool for them to use."
Maxwell does add though, that in his experience with the stations, there has yet to be a problem identifying which station was activated.
While Maxwell reports no problems, students still seem apprehensive about the station's effectiveness as they currently stand.
"You can't just rely on someone talking to you through the little thing," says freshman Amber Miron, 18, of Rochester Hills. "It doesn't seem very reliable to me."
The stations reliability is difficult to gauge, as they are rarely activated. Maxwell estimates they are used "Two or three times a year," and mentions that the large number of people who have cell phones may contribute to the low number. University Police Sergeant Bethany K. Rusch estimates she has personally answered three emergency station calls in the four years they have been on campus, but that they are still a good idea.
"People seem to really like them," she says. "I think they're great."
Effectiveness of alert light
Another element of the emergency stations that has caused some debate is the blue light on top of each. When activated, the light blinks to alert others that there is a potential emergency. Rusch says the light stays on until an officer arrives at the scene. After a University Police-approved test of the station in between lots J-1 and J-2, there is reason to believe the light needs to be stronger. The area around the J-Lots where the station is located is well lit, and the emergency light is difficult to pick up.
When asked to comment on the light's effectiveness, Maxwell said he had not tested one in a few years and would have to test it personally to see. He does, however, report that when he tested it prior, "it seemed adequate at the time" Maxwell also says it would probably be possible to modify the emergency stations to potentially add a brighter light or even a siren.
More stations needed?
Despite questions regarding their value, many students wouldn't mind seeing a few more installed around the steadily-growing campus.
"They should be all over the place," says freshman Natalie Desrochers, 18, of Bloomfield Hills.
But the lack of use from the current stations has the University balking on adding more.
"We've looked at it from time to time," Maxwell says, "but because of the little use, we don't see a need to add.
Davis agrees that adding more stations would be a good thing but that students shouldn't convince themselves that they will keep them safe.
"I think having more would be a positive," he says. "But at the same time, we can't fool ourselves into thinking that that's what we've got so we have to look out for ourselves and be careful not to go out at night without a buddy."
As for why the current locations were chosen, Maxwell says they were placed in locations that University officials felt were evening high traffic areas.
While few would debate the areas are highly trafficked, some students argue that the areas in greatest need of emergency stations would be places not often traveled.
"I think (there should be stations) in areas where there isn't much going on and dark places," Desrochers says.
Aside from all the arguments regarding them, there is a consensus that better orientation and education needs to be offered to students in regards to the stations.
"I don't think (students) are too much aware of it," says sophomore Andrea McGee, 19 of Flint, a Residence Assistant in Living Center North. "I know my first year here ... I knew nothing about them."
While the opinions of students and University officials are subjective, there is reason to believe that a lack of education and question of effectiveness has put the University in a position where they should re-evaluate the emergency station.
"The campus has changed a lot," Maxwell says. "It's probably a good time for another look at them."