In the News
October 2-8, 2023
UA Little Rock launches campus safety app September is National Preparedness Month, making it the perfect time for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to roll out a new campus safety app.
The Trojan Campus Safety App includes a variety of useful tools to help keep the campus community safe, including push button calls to the Department of Public Safety for immediate response during an emergency; anonymous messaging for reporting suspicious activity, crimes in progress, and safety concerns; and a virtual escort feature. The app also includes access to the university’s emergency plans, campus maps, and support resources as well as the ability to upload emergency contacts and share your route with the Department of Public Safety.
Regina Carter, associate vice chancellor of public safety and chief of police, encourages everyone on campus to download the app and become familiar with its capabilities.
“The Trojan Campus Safety App has the ability to keep UA Little Rock students, faculty, and staff connected to public safety and resources,” Carter said. “The new app empowers you with instant access to safety alerts, a virtual escort, and emergency SOS. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our campus family. I invite everyone on campus to participate in creating a safer environment by downloading the app.”
The app has a virtual escort feature that allows students to have campus police monitor them as they walk from one location to another. Campus police will call students who don’t reach their destination and send responders to their location if students don’t respond.
Students can activate the virtual walk button when they are walking alone. The campus app will discreetly stay connected, to offer assistance if needed. Students can also text directly with campus police through the app, including sending pictures and videos, a feature that is especially useful if students find themselves in a situation where they are unable to talk.
(Angelita Faller, UA Little Rock Communications)
Fed officials warn of more rate hikes
WASHINGTON, U.S. Federal Reserve officials warned of further rate hikes, which came on the heels of voting to hold the federal funds rate steady at a meeting last week.
In the first public comments since agreeing to hold its benchmark rate steady in a range of from 5.25% to 5.50%, the emphasis was on the possibility that rates may still rise, and on the fact that monetary policy will likely remain tight longer than previously expected.
“Inflation is still too high, and I expect it will likely be appropriate for the (Federal Open Market) Committee to raise rates further and hold them at a restrictive level for some time to return inflation to our 2% goal in a timely way,” Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said in prepared remarks for an Independent Community Bankers of Colorado event.
“Progress on inflation is likely to be slow given the current level of monetary policy restraint,” she said, noting that in policymaker projections issued by the Fed earlier this week inflation remains above the 2% target “at least until the end of 2025.”
(Reuters)
