2008 Woodie Awards
Emergency phones seldom used
Convenience of cell phones reduces use of direct call line
By Jon Dobish
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/11/05 Section: News
At half past ten o'clock on a gusty and brisk October evening, a student walks back to North Hall after spending time with friends in Kraus Hall. She walks past Miller Auditorium, checking messages on her cell phone. She looks up and stops. An older man is hunched over on the ground, collapsed on the sidewalk.
The student stares in bewilderment before it strikes her that she has walked into an emergency situation with no one else around, no one else who can help. Perhaps the man had a heart attack. The student is afraid, but realizes she must respond. She holds her cell phone tightly in her hand. Fifteen feet away is an emergency phone. What will she do? What should she do?
This is a hypothetical situation, but a realistic one that few students stop to think about. What would you do if you were that student? Would you automatically use your cell phone to contact police? Would you use the emergency phone close by? Would you even know the emergency phone was there?
The overwhelming use of cell phones by SRU students might appear to make the emergency phones on campus obsolete or impractical. But the emergency phones throughout campus play an important role in campus safety. Student awareness about the use and misuse of these phones can save someone's life. Knowing how the phones work, where they are, what happens when they are used, and their effectiveness compared to cell phones might help you make the best choice if you find yourself in a situation like the student walking home to North Hall.
According to campus police, there are 17 emergency phones on campus. They are housed in the brown pillars with the bluish-green light on the top that say Emergency on the side. They feature a red button to push, and a speakerphone system to talk directly to campus police. Emergency phones can be found in areas near McKay classroom building, Patterson Hall, Eisenberg classroom building and West Lake parking lot as well as near Rock Apartments and the Ski Lodge.
The student stares in bewilderment before it strikes her that she has walked into an emergency situation with no one else around, no one else who can help. Perhaps the man had a heart attack. The student is afraid, but realizes she must respond. She holds her cell phone tightly in her hand. Fifteen feet away is an emergency phone. What will she do? What should she do?
This is a hypothetical situation, but a realistic one that few students stop to think about. What would you do if you were that student? Would you automatically use your cell phone to contact police? Would you use the emergency phone close by? Would you even know the emergency phone was there?
The overwhelming use of cell phones by SRU students might appear to make the emergency phones on campus obsolete or impractical. But the emergency phones throughout campus play an important role in campus safety. Student awareness about the use and misuse of these phones can save someone's life. Knowing how the phones work, where they are, what happens when they are used, and their effectiveness compared to cell phones might help you make the best choice if you find yourself in a situation like the student walking home to North Hall.
According to campus police, there are 17 emergency phones on campus. They are housed in the brown pillars with the bluish-green light on the top that say Emergency on the side. They feature a red button to push, and a speakerphone system to talk directly to campus police. Emergency phones can be found in areas near McKay classroom building, Patterson Hall, Eisenberg classroom building and West Lake parking lot as well as near Rock Apartments and the Ski Lodge.
