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New
phones dial in safety on campus
By Kerry Skemp ’05
Seven outdoor phones have recently been installed on the Reed College campus to make it easier for community members to report emergency situations and get in touch with each other.
The new phones, topped with blue lights, are in each parking lot,
near the Chittick and McKinley residence halls, on the sports fields by the Steele residence
hall, and along the path
to the Reed College Apartments.
Michael O’Brien, director of community safety, believes the phones have added a higher level of security to campus while also making it easier to call community members and get campus information.
Each new phone has a black call button that rings dispatch at the community safety office; dispatch can in turn link callers to any number on campus. Each new phone also has a bright red emergency button that connects to the emergency line in the community safety office; officers can trace a call’s origin and respond immediately to dangerous situations. The emergency button also causes the blue light on top of the phone to flash, alerting everyone in the area of a potential problem.
O’Brien says that the phones are an asset to the college not only because of their ability to help people quickly report emergencies, but also because the presence of more phones (and watchful students) around campus will help community members promptly notify safety officers of suspicious circumstances.
Kerry Skemp, a junior English major from Brookfield, Wisconsin, is an intern in Reed’s communications office.
