The Parents Program, a group of non-alumni parents who donate money for student programming, plans to issue over 6,000 safety whistles to University students next week in an effort called Operation Whistle Alert.
Plans to hand out the whistles have not been finalized, but distribution will be incorporated through on-Grounds housing, Student Council, Lawn table displays, Inter-Fraternity and Sorority councils and University Police safety programs.
Molly Bass, director of the Parents Program and coordinator of Operation Whistle Alert, said the program began as a student initiative in 1999 but has found its way to the Parents Program.
The program aims to increase the way a person can call attention to one's self, and remind people about good safety techniques, University Police Department Captain Michael Coleman said.
Bass said Operation Whistle Alert will cost approximately $17,000 to $18,000. The Parents Program will pay the majority of the cost, but the Alumni Association and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs will cover a quarter of the bill.
"By carrying a whistle, it doesn't mean you're safe," Bass said. "The purpose is to have a tool on you should you need it to call for help."
Bass said the whistle program has had positive results at other colleges and universities.
Bass and Coleman both said they advocate using common sense and do not see whistle implementation as a way for people to ignore safety concerns. Bass said she suggests the continued use of Student Escort Service and emphasizes the importance of not walking alone at night.
Letty Lau, a fourth-year College student and Student Council safety concerns committee chairwoman, said she hopes implementation will increase awareness of University safety programs, but does not want to encourage a false sense of security.
Through Alumni Hall, the Parents Program ordered 10,000 whistles, 4,000 of which will be saved for incoming students next year, Bass said. The safety whistles were tested for pitch and shrillness to increase the likelihood they will be heard, she added.
Additionally, the whistles are glow-in-the-dark and have the phone number for Student Escort Service written on them.
The whistles also will come with a small printed card with emergency numbers on it, listing Yellow Cab, Student Health and the University Police Crime Prevention Programs.
The card recommends when to use the whistle and also adds a disclaimer regarding its misuse.
"We believe students are mature enough to know that misuse [of whistles] will have a negative effect on the program," Coleman said.
Although there is not a specific sanction for blowing a whistle in a non-emergency situation, misuse may fall under the umbrella of the University Judiciary Committee, said William Harmon, vice president for student affairs.
The safety whistle is "not a panacea for solving all safety problems for students, but hopefully will serve as a deterrent," Harmon said.
Read More
MLK III to focus on youth participation in politics as professor of practice
By Ford McCracken | 10 hours agoRestrictive voting laws are only one problem with voting today, according to King — the other is voter apathy. King even called the level of voter participation in U.S. elections “abysmal.”
New School of Data Science building opens with remarks and ceremony
By Cecilia Mould | YesterdayThe four-story, 61,000 square-foot building includes four classrooms and two seminar rooms, as well as a two-story central hub for hosting events.
Democratic Futures Project fellow Félix Maradiaga announces campaign to end arbitrary detention
By Caroline Hagood | YesterdayA public website for the campaign launched Friday, which Maradiaga says is the first step towards raising awareness.
