Ithaca College Launches New Mobile Safety App for Campus Community

11/09/20

Contributed by News

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the safety, support, and well-being of our campus community, Ithaca College is launching the Rave Guardian mobile app. We strongly encourage all students, faculty, and staff to download the free app on your smartphone device, giving you quick access to a suite of personal safety tools and resources.

Rave Guardian is a component of the IC Alert Emergency Notification System, through which the college distributes critical messages to the campus community. Though we hope that everyone will download and utilize the Guardian app, you will still be able to receive emergency messages by voice, e-mail, and text without it.

Visit the IC Alert Emergency Notification System website at www.ithaca.edu/ic-alert for details on how to install the Rave Guardian app on your iOS or Android device.

There is also a new self-service site for you to update/edit your emergency contact information:

  1. Go to www.getrave.com.
  2. Type “Ithaca” into the search bar and select “Ithaca College.”
  3. Enter your Netpass credentials.
  4. In My Account, you will find your existing emergency contacts profile that has been carried over from the previous site, which you can edit.

After your first visit to the Rave self-service website, you will only have to enter your Netpass credentials to access your account, unless you use a different browser or empty your cache. As an alternative, you can instead edit your emergency contact information from the Guardian app once you have installed it.

If you have any issues or questions about the Guardian app or Rave self-service, contact the Information Technology Service Desk at 607-274-1000 or servicedesk@ithaca.edu.

What Does Rave Guardian Do?
The free Rave Guardian app provides two primary benefits: It allows users to receive emergency messages from Ithaca College via push notifications, and it allows users to contact/access emergency assistance and resources. From the home screen, you can

The Guardian application is available for use by all Ithaca College students, faculty, and staff, and an Ithaca College email address must be used to register it. Either cellular service or an internet connection is necessary to access any of the Rave Guardian services, which work whether you are on or off campus.

Additional Safety Tools
Separate from the app, Ithaca College’s Emergency Notification System also allows campus visitors and others (e.g., spouse, partner, parent) to sign up to receive an IC Alert text on their mobile device whenever the college sends out an emergency message to students, faculty, and staff. Information on how to opt in to this “ICVisitor” service can be found on the IC Alert website.

The college’s emergency communication tools also include the Outdoor Warning System (OWS), which uses a siren and loudspeaker to deliver emergency warnings and messages on campus. The OWS is not intended to be heard inside buildings.

Emergency Planning
The implementation of the Rave Guardian app and switch to Rave Mobile Safety as the provider of our Emergency Notification System was an effort managed by the Offices of Information Technology, Public Safety, and College Communications, with the support of senior leadership. Rave offers more features at a more economical price than our previous vendor, using enhanced technology to deliver services to the campus community in alignment with the Ithaca Forever strategic plan.

We want to thank the faculty, staff, and students who have provided valuable feedback during the pilot phase of this project, which is part of the college’s comprehensive emergency response planning led by the Core Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The college will be conducting its regular once-a-semester test of the Emergency Notification System and Outdoor Warning System during the noon hour this Thursday, November 12. We encourage you to visit the Rave self-service site to update your contact information, and install the Guardian app and start becoming familiar with its features, prior to this test.

While these new services can be used immediately, we know that they will be even more beneficial to our community as we return this spring to an on-campus academic and residential experience.

Sincerely,

La Jerne Terry Cornish, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, CERT Co-Chair

Rosanna Ferro, Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life, CERT Co-Chair

Bill Kerry, Director and Chief of the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management

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