MSU Receives Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award

Montclair State University received the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award on September 5th, due to its innovative cell phone application, Rave Guardian. Connie Clery, founder of Security on Campus, Inc. (SOC) presented the award to Montclair State’s President Susan A. Cole on behalf of the University.

SOC, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving safety for college and university students in the U.S., has recognized the accomplishments Montclair has made in campus safety with it’s collaboration with Rave Wireless.

Established in 1994, the award is presented each year by Howard and Connie Clery to honor schools and individuals who have taken extraordinary measures in the mission to prevent violence, substance abuse and other crimes in college and university campus communities across the United States. The award is named after the Clerys’ daughter Jeanne, who was raped and murdered in her dorm at Lehigh University in 1986 during an attempted robbery.

The award signifies Montclair State’s numerous technological and educational efforts in campus safety.  Foremost is that Montclair State is the first school to implement the use of Rave Wireless, a cell phone communication system that provides GPS-enhanced mobile applications to college and university communities. The application Rave Guardian allows students to alert campus safety with their location anytime they are feeling unsafe.

"It is important for students to know that they are safe and comfortable in their environment, but I would say it’s even more important for their parents," said Dr. Karen Pennington, Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life.

"We have a great University police force and a dedicated group of students and faculty members who have worked very hard to ensure that Montclair leads the way on safety. Technology is a vital part of enhancing the quality of our students' experience and we are delighted to have pioneered the use of Rave Guardian," said Dr. Cole.

The award also recognizes other programs at Montclair State that instruct students about taking safety precautions while on campus. The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), which was the first university based program of it’s kind in New Jersey, is a team comprised of trained sexual assault nurse examiners, University police officers and trained rape care advocates organized to assist the victims of sexual assault. The team is trained to provide victim centered, compassionate, comprehensive care directly on campus. The SART service is provided to any individual who is a victim of sexual assault within the confines of campus grounds.