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Stephanie Euler/Eric Schauer
Stern Associates
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Montclair, NJ: College students around the country have a new personal safety option available through their mobile phones. Now accessible to more than 16,000 students at Montclair State University, in Montclair, N.J., Rave Guardian is a new mobile phone application that allows students to alert campus safety with their location anytime they are feeling unsafe .

The application was developed by Rave Wireless, a leading provider of GPS-based mobile phone applications, and perfected at Montclair State through a series of pilot programs. Because Rave Guardian enables students to turn their phones into personal alarm devices, it is like having a police officer at every student's side.

"Ninety percent of college students carry a mobile phone at all times," said Rodger Desai, president and chief executive officer, Rave Wireless. "They carry mobile phones the way the rest of us carry our keys. Rave Guardian is the first service in the nation to take advantage of this and connect students, at their discretion, with campus security departments."

"Rave Guardian connects our students with the Montclair State University Police Department through their mobile phones, and improves their safety anytime and anywhere," said Dr. Susan A. Cole, president, Montclair State University. "Our students lead active lifestyles, so whether they're running to class or meeting a friend at night, they have peace of mind in knowing that, if they wish, someone can know where they are and where they are going, and help can be immediately on the way if needed."

Rave Guardian is a mobile phone application available to students to use if and when they want. A student who feels unsafe can simply activate a timer on the mobile phone that alerts campus safety if it is not turned off within a set period of time. If the alarm goes off, campus safety will call the phone to ensure everything is all right. In the scenarios where there is no answer or there is a problem, Rave Guardian instantly displays the student's location along with any other pertinent information, such as medical conditions, photograph and local address. Since Rave Guardian uses the same GPS technologies as E911 emergency centers, students can use it on- or off-campus and anywhere in the U.S.

"Because today's college students are far more mobile than ever before, their safety issues are different," said Catherine Bath, executive director, Security on Campus, the only national non-profit organization devoted exclusively to college and university campus crime prevention. "By leveraging the prevalent use of mobile phones among students, Rave Guardian provides the information needed to significantly increase the safety of college students anywhere they are."  

At Montclair State University, students subscribe to Rave Guardian through Campus Connect , a package of applications that Rave Wireless customized specifically for the University. The program, available on the Nextel National Network, with plans to offer it on the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network in the future, gives students resources to manage their academic and social lives. For example, students can identify the GPS location of campus shuttle buses, check class assignment changes, get specials at local merchants and share their GPS location with friends. The program is part of a GPS lifestyle that Rave believes will be a critical aspect to the lives of students.

"Sprint is committed to enhance the learning environment and improve student safety at higher education institutions across the nation," said Chris Hackett, vice president of Public Sector Sales Programs, Sprint. "We are happy to team with Rave Wireless to provide Campus Connect on our robust, reliable and strong network, which provides an important link to campus life, safety officials and the greater Montclair community."

Montclair State University is New Jersey's second largest and fastest growing university. It offers the advantages of a large university - a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum with a global focus, a broad variety of superior graduate programs through the doctoral level, and a diverse faculty and student body - combined with a small college's attention to students. More information on the University is available on its Web site: www.montclair.edu.

Rave Wireless provides GPS-enhanced mobile applications for communities such as colleges and universities. Rave Wireless' applications enable a previously unimaginable experience across safety, social networking, academics and commerce. Led by a world-class team, Rave Wireless is headquartered in New York and maintains an office in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit www.ravewireless.com .

March 21, 2006