The University of Virginia is rolling out a new safety app available to anyone with a UVa email address as well as members of the general public.
The new app, UVa Ready, replaces the existing Rave Guarding app and gives users quick access to school community alerts, safety protocols and a map of emergency blue-light phones that dot Grounds and connect directly to UVa police.
“We want anyone who might be on or around Grounds to have access to urgent safety information so that they can be prepared for possible emergencies and crises,” UVa Police Chief Tim Longo said in a statement announcing the new app. “This app is a one-stop shop for anyone in our community to feel safer and more informed.”
That announcement also included news that the UVa Police Department has a new name: the UVa Police Division. The name change better aligns the existing law enforcement agency with the school’s Department of Safety and Security, the school said. UVa “community alerts” will also now be called “safety advisories” in the future.
“With both UVA Alerts and Community Alerts being sent occasionally throughout the year, we realized that there could be confusion about the difference between, and urgency of, each type of alert,” Longo said. “Changing the name to Safety Advisories reinforces that those messages are simply for awareness, rather than immediate calls to action that are prompted by UVA Alerts.”
UVa Ready is available now for download on iOS and Android mobile devices.
