THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2011
PAGE 21
SAFETY
Emergency phones still needed
BY KYLIE NUTT knutt@kansan.com
Seventy-eight tall poles with a yellow box and red button that read "emergency phone" are located throughout campus as safety devices. The emergency phones are located in high-traffic areas for emergency and non-emergency use, in case someone needs urgent help or simply directions or information. The phones are easy to locate at night because they light-up blue at the top of the pole.
"Just like in a big classroom you should locate the exits," Capt. Schuyler Bailey of KU's public safety office, said. "You should do the same thing with emergency phones."
In the 1970s college campuses across the nation were installing emergency phones for safety purposes and the University followed in the same footsteps. There were not many evening classes at the University at the time, buildings usually closed around 5 p.m. and cell phones were not common, Bailey said.
Emergency phones were an easy way for people to contact the police when in need of help. Each phone cost around $780 when they were first installed, but phones that were later installed cost more, Bailey said.
If you are in an emergency or simply need information, such as new to the University or unfamiliar with a building, locate an emergency phone and let dispatch know what you need.
Dispatch will answer the call by saying something similar to "9-1-1 dispatch, how may I help you or what is your emergency?" The person at the other end of the line will explain the situation and at the same time an officer is on their way to the location if one is needed.
Ashleigh Merritt, a junior from Goddard, said she would try to locate an emergency phone first be-
WONDERING WHERE THE PHONES ARE ON CAMPUS?
go to www.kansan.com
cause it would take too long to make a phone call.
Andrew Genova, a junior from St. Louis, agrees with Merritt to locate an emergency phone, but said he has not noticed many where he walks. Cell phones have decreased the usage of emergency phones for emergency purposes, but are used mainly for the purpose of information.
The KU Office of Public Safety receives less than an average of 175 calls a year. Each phone costs $20 for the monthly phone bill, which costs around $18,720 for 78 emergency phones a year. This money comes out of the department's budget, but some are paid by different departments, such as housing, if they are close-by.
Although the emergency phones are not used as often as they have been in the past, they will remain where they are and in service in case there ever is an emergency. The last emergency phones added are at the Park and Ride lot on west campus, but no more will be added.
"It's a nice visual tool in the overall package of security," Bailey said. "If you see that blue light, you know if I had too, I could call the police."
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Emergency phones can be distinguished by a yellow box, a red button, and the top of the pole that lights up blue.
With 5 locations all over town... We've got Lawrence covered
Eddingham Quail Creek Parkway Townhomes Campus West The Oaks
The Bottleneck
737 New Hampshire St • Lawrence Ks
Thursday, July 1st
Truckstop Honeymoon
Saturday, July 23rd RX Bandits w/Maps & Atlases
Thursday, July 7th
The Windup Birds
w/ Here to Stay / Radio Free TV
Wednesday, July 13th Blind Pilot
Find us on Facebook for concert announcements, giveaways, and more!
www.thebottlenecklive.com
CROSSROADS KC
417 I 18th St KKGMC ATGRINDERS
TRU
TUN
30
ELVIS COSTELLO
& THE IMPOSTERS
w/ LARKIN POE
SAT
JULY
2
UMPHREY'S
McGEE w/ QUEXOTIC
THU
JUL
21
BEN FOLDS w KENTON CHEN
CINDERELLA
W HAMMERLORD THE DEAD GIRLS
OLD 97'S
W COWBOY/MOUTH/THOSE DARLINES
/ROBERT ELLS
FRI
JUL
22
BELA FLECK
& THE ELECTROCUTICAL SENSE BUILDUP
WITH BRUCE HORNSBY
& THE NOSEMAKERS
TUE
AUG
9
JONNY LANG
wJJ GREY & MOFRO
JOHN BUTLER TRIO
W/MAMA KIN
WBC AUG
17 YONDER
MOUNTAIN
STRING BAND
SAT AUG
27 TV ON
THE RADIO
w!!!
TRU SEP 1 TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT GRINDERS IN
Jeep KC, THE BOTTLE LENECK IN LAWRENCE
WWW.CROSSROADSKG.COM