In October 2024, Calvin received a federal grant to replace the “blue pole” emergency phones intended to offer students a way to contact emergency services.
Much of Calvin’s network of blue emergency phones — introduced in the ‘90s — have been marked with ‘out of service’ signs. Of the original 13 blue poles, two are currently operational, eight are out of order, and three have been removed completely, according to Campus Safety.
The blue poles have been active for over 20 years, and in that time have been subjected to rain, snow, hot and cold weather, and are simply worn out according to the director of Campus Safety, Bill Corner.
Last month, Campus Safety received $150,000 in grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security to replace some of the currently broken blue poles. The grant included money for new technology to improve student security and new radios for Campus Safety. “Potential features include the possibility of increased lighting and video cameras to the poles,” says Corner. “These added features take the safety pole from being just an emergency phone to an actual help station.”
In the meantime, Student Senate, led by senator Scarlett Tilburt, is undertaking a project to place additional signage on the out of service blue poles, recognizing the need for more information for students. The signage directs students to use the Campus Safety hotline number in the case of an emergency and to download the Knight Guard app.
“The safety poles have not been used a lot by people in recent years, and we considered removing them all together for that reason,” said Corner. “But we heard from students that they still want the safety poles to stay as the poles made them feel safer.”
Five new grant funded poles will be installed in Lots 1, 4, 8, and 13 as well as near the walking path to KE. “We also have been working on identifying areas where we would like to add safety phones in the future. Those locations would be added as funding becomes available,” says Corner.
There is no timeline yet as to when the poles will be installed; Campus Safety is waiting on the federal government and the state of Michigan to communicate about when funds will be available. However, Campus Safety is working to be ready in advance. According to Corner, “Facilities has started to remove some of the existing non-functioning safety phone poles to begin preparation for new poles at select locations.”
The Knight Guard app, with over 2500 users, offers students access to information and many safety services from Campus Safety, including a mobile version of the blue safety phones, that, when activated, will place a call to Campus Safety and transmit the user’s location to allow for a quick response. The app also includes a virtual escort feature, where either Campus Safety or a friend can remotely track the user walking from one location on campus to another.
Corner strongly encourages students to download the Knight Guard app, available for all smartphones on the iOS and Google Play app stores.
