Marist Offering Free Personal Safety Alarms for Students
A Personal Safety Alarm. Source: Evelyn Milburn'24
Marist Femme and SGA have partnered up with Title IX and Marist Security to offer students free personal safety alarms, Deborah DiCaprio announced on April 12th. When triggered, the device emits a sound of 140 decibels that can be used to deter an attacker and alert others in the vicinity of danger. The project, which was spearheaded by Keziah Franks ‘25, SGA Vice President for the Class of 2025, and Evelyn Milburn ‘24, Marist Femme’s president, is yet another way to improve on-campus security and allow Marist students to feel safe at home.
“I felt that our on-campus safety procedures fell short in certain situations,” Franks explained. “I wanted these alarms for those private, uncomfortable situations, where you need to get the attention of those around or disorientate someone so you can have time to go get help.”
Franks, who had previously worked with Marist Femme on a campaign to supply Marist students with free period products, decided to reach out to the organization again to gain their support.
“I was really thankful when Keziah first approached me about this idea,” Milburn says. “It was comforting to know that there are so many other people on campus who care about the safety of students, particularly women, and are willing to stretch their necks out to provide a more secure environment for us.”
Another key supporter of their campaign was Marist Security Director John Blaisdell, who guided Franks and Milburn through the process of pitching their idea to the school.
“We worked very closely with John Blaisdell,” Milburn says. “Throughout the whole process, he was very supportive of our idea but also challenged us throughout. ‘These are the concerns I have. This is what we tried to do in the past. Why do you think this is worth putting money into?’ [Blaisdell] really put us on our toes and forced us to defend our position before introducing the idea to the school.”
After being given the green light by Marist, a student-wide email was sent out to the Marist community. Attached was a form where interested students could sign up to receive a free private safety alarm.
“I first heard about the private safety alarms through the email that was sent out,” Khoudia Diop, a sophomore who requested an alarm, recalls, “and from the onset, I was really excited because I always wanted to get one for myself.”
The application process, which saw over 800 students request an alarm, closed last Thursday, April 21. Students are set to receive their safety alarms sometime next week, and Franks hopes their distribution can become a yearly thing at Marist.
“I hope these alarms give students a feeling of ease,” Franks expressed. “I think Marist Security understands that there are many ways we can improve, and I hope to continue working with them to improve our security on campus.”