Montclair State mandates use of GPS-enabled phones

Nearly six months after Slippery Rock University introduced a RFID payment system for mobiles at its campus, we've learned that Montclair State University is requiring that all full-time undergraduates carry a school-issued mobile for their own safety. The handsets, which cost some $210 per semester, are already being carried by about 6,000 students, and feature a GPS function that can be activated to ensure campus police are alerted of their location if something goes awry. Aside from being able to send a request for help immediately, the phone will also call for assistance should the feature remain on for longer than a preset length of time. As it stands, the university has yet to see the Rave Guardian technology used in situations other than false alarms, but a 32-member police force is kept on staff in case any future calls prove legitimate.

[Image courtesy of WCBSTV]

[paul34 @ Dec 4th 2007 1:35AM]

That's anywhere from $35-$53 a month! AND these kids are going to have a personal cell phone with its own service?

Ridiculous.

[mike_p @ Dec 4th 2007 11:03PM]

Seriously. I'm glad I chose NOT to go to THAT school!

[David Clarke @ Dec 17th 2007 2:25AM]

Hey, I'm a student of Montclair State University, and this subject has outraged many other students. It started when I was a freshman in 2005, but had been building long before I arrived. This is another example of American education becoming a commodity. For our administration, it's more about putting our school on the map, rather than making it a better place to learn. I do have the campus connect phone...its in a box at a storage shed in south jersey, and I have never missed it.

I write for the campus newspaper, The Montclarion, and this is a piece I wrote about this epidemic:

http://media.www.themontclarion.org/media/storage/paper374/news/2007/10/18/Opinion/The-Following.Article.Is.Sponsored.By-3040901.shtml

[bjrcboy @ Dec 4th 2007 1:46AM]

personally I'd never carry it around it would be burried deep inside of my desk. I've never understood the purpose of carrying two cell phones...

How can a college require you to carry a gps cell phone?!

[m @ Dec 4th 2007 2:29AM]

the same way they can require you to live in the dorms, or get vaccinated for hepatitis. it's all voluntary. "don't like it? go somewhere else."

[flfny @ Dec 4th 2007 3:29AM]

@m
Yeah well it's a PUBLIC University. So the question is can a publicly funded ie government run school force you to carry not to mention buy a cell phone. It's basically a 10% fee. A cost that is hard for a lot of people who can't afford private higher education. How much was the kickback for that exclusive contract with that company? That's what I want to know.

Why can't people just use their own cells? I was under the impression that new cells all had triangulation for 911 calls.

[AZ @ Dec 4th 2007 1:49AM]

Nice option to have, but making it mandatory is absurd!!!

[bbb3108 @ Dec 4th 2007 10:46AM]

it's mandatory as in, part of your tuition bill, same as computer fees, student fees, etc. every year here at rutgers university students get all up in arms about the $7 newspaper fee, because why should they have to pay if they don't read the newspaper... same argument for the computers... my personal feeling is that the university should not even bother itemizing it, if it is part of the tuition then just include it in the tuition cost.

to contrast, textbooks... are not "mandatory", are not part of your tuition bill, yet usually you must buy them to survive the semester.

[Yankees368 @ Dec 4th 2007 1:51AM]

I don't see how a college can mandate you carry around their specific phone. Paying $420 a year for something that you may never use and might not even work when your not at school is crazy.

[bbb3108 @ Dec 4th 2007 10:39AM]

are you serious? have you never heard of textbooks? :)

[Yankees368 @ Dec 4th 2007 11:46AM]

Right! I have not used my text books for so long this semester, I forgot I even had them!

[Mikey @ Dec 4th 2007 1:54AM]

Is big brother watching?

[Johnny @ Dec 4th 2007 1:54AM]

WTF? It's not like Montclair is the kind of place in which you'd need to worry about stuff like that. But if you were to drive the wrong way down Bloomfield Ave... well, then that's a different story...

[mausmalone @ Dec 4th 2007 9:56AM]

As they said in the AP video on this, it works from any location. Students can use it if they take the train into NYC and if the alarm goes off Campus Security can contact the NYPD and let them know that the student is in trouble and exactly where they are.

[Wwhat @ Dec 4th 2007 12:27PM]

Ahh! it's for 6yo 'students', I get it now.

[m @ Dec 4th 2007 2:03AM]

since the virginia tech massacre, universities have been falling all over themselves to protect against any future liability. this scheme probably allows them to make lots of money at the same time-- an administrator's dream.

[mp @ Dec 4th 2007 2:04AM]

anyone ever read 1984?

[Jesse S @ Dec 4th 2007 2:40AM]

My favorite book. I've been trying to track down a British first edition that isn't $2,000...

[Reader @ Dec 4th 2007 4:27AM]

Ever heard of the Virginia Tech shooting?

[Bobby @ Dec 4th 2007 11:28AM]

Speaking of the Virginia Tech shooting...

Virginia School Shooting: Another Government Black-Op?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2007/160407blackop.htm

As for 1984...

iPhone a Trojan Horse For Government Surveillance?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2007/200707iphonesurveillance.htm

FBI records audio from cell phone even when battery is out
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/december2006/071206batteries.htm


DON"T BE DISCOURAGED. Love to everyone. Love and beauty to all.

[Wwhat @ Dec 4th 2007 12:32PM]

At virginia tech the security/cops were right there, concluding the 'suspect must have wandered off' after the first body was found.
Great help they were.

[mp @ Dec 4th 2007 2:06AM]

When seconds count, the gps police are less than 20min away......

[Gibson @ Dec 4th 2007 2:12AM]

I work at Rave, and believe me the customer service sector is no quiet corner.

[bobs @ Dec 4th 2007 6:25PM]

I'm telling RD you said that!

[Josh @ Dec 4th 2007 2:33AM]

If this happened at my school, I'd be pissed. School costs too much as is. However, student are able to vote on some of these things, and I'm sure if they wanted to they could get rid of this nonsense. This is what those security/call for help stations are for anyway.

[Jesse S @ Dec 4th 2007 2:39AM]

Sorry, I care about my civil rights, and to a lesser extent, my money.

I hate it when schools and businesses do stupid shit like this.

[scott @ Dec 4th 2007 3:36AM]

I don't know if I could handle this...maybe if they incorporated it with a cell phone company as optional, y'know so you could use it as your primary device....but carrying around an extra cell phone is unnecessary when most phones already come with gps inside.

[DrXym @ Dec 4th 2007 3:37AM]

I'm sure any killer is not going to be that bothered that random campus people can be located by the police, they'll just keep plugging away regardless. This sounds like an absurd and intrusive "security theatre" reaction to a rare occurrence that certainly cannot be avoided by making people haul around expensive locator devices.

[Al @ Dec 4th 2007 11:46AM]

I am a senior at MSU. I just missed the cut off in needing these stupid phones. I think that they should be optional. I do not understand why the require them. I feel people do not have privacy anymore.

[Bad Beaver @ Dec 4th 2007 5:15AM]

Nooo no no, they install it so they can keep track of the shooter once identified, because whenever you go on a killing spree, you will make sure you take your mandatory GPS device with you.

[bob sakamano @ Dec 4th 2007 9:12AM]

how dangerous is this school?!?!

for the 35 a month * 6000 students = $210,000 a month / 5000 nice police officers salary = 42 new police officers they could throw on the campus per month, wouldnt that be an even better idea?

then again, who knows if more police = less crime

[Mikey @ Dec 4th 2007 10:35AM]

Although I do like your thinking, your calculations are a bit off.

In actuality, far fewer positions could be funded. Not only is there the salaries, but the department would have to purchase cars, computers, radios, uniforms, training, and also cover benefits like health/life insurance.

Its costly to find those officers (a process requiring almost 12 months), who the majority of are unlikely to successfully complete their training (about 90% fail).

There are some grants, but unlike in the Clinton administration, they are not being given out like candy. Besides, that salary is a bit low for some areas.

[mp @ Dec 4th 2007 10:46AM]

or they could buy every student a glock

[bob sakamano @ Dec 4th 2007 10:48AM]

yeah, it was just a thought, the calculations and details arent concrete and obviously it would take a lot more to hire more police

but I think they can do better things with the students money in regards to safety than require then to have gps tracking cell phones.

[Wwhat @ Dec 4th 2007 1:52PM]

It's rather obvious that this has nothing to do with safety, neither in a practical sense nor in the planning stages, that's just the sugarcoating.

[Andrew.Lipton @ Dec 4th 2007 11:14AM]

Haha, I've seen some comments about Montclair State and what they can and cant do. I wont get into the details, but I had a friend who attended there, was wrongfully accused of doing something and the whole case got taken to the Supreme Court where they found the kid not guilty....MSU still expelled him, saying that the decision of the COURTS did not reflect their own. Seems like they have alot more power to force student to do what they want, when they want it done...The cell phones have been required for years now there, my girlfriend has one from her freshman year, 3 years ago. The campus police are quite possibly the most idiotic police force when it comes to handling any situation and very incompetent...the phones do nothing but cause outrage that they are REQUIRED to be bought.

[Wwhat @ Dec 4th 2007 1:55PM]

Perhaps the GPS phone is meant to call help if you see a group of students beating up a security guy, or the school board :)

[Mike @ Dec 4th 2007 2:24PM]

The school I work for provides students with an *optional* key fob that, when activated, notifies security of the student's location and activates any alarms in the vicinity. It's encouraged that all students sign up for one when they are accepted, and there is no charge.

[josh @ Dec 4th 2007 2:47PM]

that is a far better solution than having a gps phone...

[Dominic @ Dec 5th 2007 12:51AM]

50 VOICE MINUTES!! I don't even use my cell that much, but even I use more than that per month. As someone earlier said..you're paying anywhere from $35-$53 per month for this you're getting 50 voice minutes, unlimited texting (only brightside really) unlimited campus-based data usage, and student activated emergency GPS tracking. Now I'm not sure what they really define as "campus-based" data usage, probably a few hot links on a mobile page I suppose. But seeing as this bas plan costs $210 per semester..I would be pressing that emergency GPS button everyday...