York University has a new safety application for smartphone users.
The application, or “app”, is the result of months of work involving developers collaborating with York University’s Community Safety Council and representatives from Communications & Public Affairs and the Office of the Vice-President Finance & Administration.
The result is a full-featured, responsive application that meets the diverse needs of the York U community.
On Jan. 30, as part of a community safety update meeting, York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri unveiled the new mobile safety application, which is just one element of the larger York University safety awareness campaign – Safer Together.
The free application can be downloaded from a QR Code (see below), which is also available for download through the York U Safety website and from a QR code on posters found on the Keele campus.
The York U safety application is available for iPhone and Android devices, and offers emergency information and tools for faculty, staff and students. A BlackBerry version will be released in the upcoming weeks.
The app’s key features include the ability for the user to make direct calls to York University’s Security Services and/or 911 emergency services. It includes a photo feature and a flashlight so a user can take a picture of a 
safety concern and send it to the University’s Security Services.
As well, the Safer Together app includes links to campus maps, goSAFE and Village Shuttle information, and information about the Centre for Human Rights and the Sexual Assault Survivors Support Line & Leadership (SASSL).
The application also comes with a loud alarm that gives community members who are concerned about their safety a way to draw attention to themselves.
The parameters for the app were developed by the Safety Initiatives Working Group of York U’s Community Safety Council, a volunteer group comprised of student, faculty and staff representatives.
For more information, visit the York University Safety website.