The network of blue lights across Chatham University’s campus are part of a nationally recognized system that signals to students where they can find a white box that will give them a direct phone line to the police. As soon as the door to the box opens, campus police are sent the location of the box and dispatched to help.

This emergency system got a boost with the addition of QR codes, which provide another way for Chatham students to contact Public Safety.

“QR codes have been on the call boxes as a mobile and potentially safer option for over a year, as this allows the caller to move to a different location to potentially avoid or evade a situation while reporting to police,” Chief of Police Donna Grossi said in an email interview. “Utilizing the stationary call boxes limits the movement of a caller when a situation could be potentially dangerous or evolving.”   In most cases, the QR codes were not meant to replace the call boxes.

“The reason is because the power grid that we use is not necessarily being extended to all of them. So I know like in the case of the house on Woodland Road. … It’s actually been sold by the University,” Chair of the Safety Committee and Class 2024 Representative Melissa Redding said. “The power grid that [the blue lights were] on is now no longer accessible by the University. So in that case, that’s been replaced by a permanent sign with a QR code.”

Though Public Safety has no way to track the exact location of the calls coming from the QR codes, Chief Grossi said her records show that Public Safety has not responded to an emergency call coming from a stationary call box in the past 10 years.

To contact Chatham University Public Safety, call 412-365-1111.