On Jan. 4, the Cabrini University Department of Public Safety announced the release of the school’s first campuswide app, CavConnect. The app replaces Cabrini’s current text alert service and will serve as the new safety app for the Cavalier community.
This app has been in development since the fall 2022 semester when it was approved. One of the main reasons for the app’s creation is to replace the blue light pole system. The blue light pole system was designed to give students an accessible and fast way to contact public safety in case of emergency. These blue poles are scattered around campus.
So far, the response to the app has been entirely positive. “I think probably the best thing about it is, like, how fast it is and how fast I can find different things,” said Dominic Petruzzelli, freshman math and secondary education major. “If I need the shuttle to go somewhere I can easily pull up the schedule on the app and see where it is.”
Useful services and features
Along with sending community emergency alerts, the app offers other services, including reporting safety concerns, placing work orders, sending care reports, requesting a safe escort, chatting directly with the dispatcher on duty, and making anonymous reports.
The app can also temporarily share your location with a friend. Users can even call Public Safety directly within the app by swiping the emergency tab at the top of the screen.
Another feature the app offers is the ability to pair a Bluetooth signal with the panic buttons around campus. This way, the user’s phone can act as a panic button in case of an emergency.
The app also has many student life features that keep the community in the loop about happenings on campus. Students can track the Cabrini shuttle service, view the SEaL (Student Engagement and Leadership) master calendar, view the dining services menus and hours, and stream student athlete games. There are also tabs that lead to Cavalier Radio, Cav Video from House 67 Productions, and the Loquitur.
One tab, labeled “Resources,” gives users a plethora of useful information, including off-campus activities, off-campus restaurants, and other campus services info. Users can find information on Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS), the student handbook, the Delaware County Victim Assistance Center, and the Holy Spirit Library.
Users can also make anonymous EthicsPoint reports if they feel the need to, and find info for local hospitals and urgent care in the area in the Emergency/After Hours Care tab.
The “area map” tab on the app features an interactive map of the campus that gives users an easy way to get around campus.
Public safety officer Matt Depledge thinks the app has been a success saying “I think the new app really helps because if someone’s in distress, they could hit it right away. We could come and help them see what’s going on and where they’re located.”
Not all students have downloaded the app yet but some plan to. Freshmen social work major Kelese Edmondson says she heard about the app through her Cabrini email. “I heard about how the app provides safety and it alerts you when there’s an intruder or a sighting on campus.”
How to get the app
To download the app, you must go to the Apple App Store, or for Android users, the Google Play Store, search, and download “CampusShield.” To register, you must provide your full name, current phone number, and student email account.
