Emergency Blue Call Boxes have started being taken down recently.

For those unaware, the Emergency Call Boxes are relics of an old era of Georgia Southern. They are a radio system designed to help students quickly get in touch with the UPD’s dispatch office. But, according to the director of public safety, Laura McCullough, most emergency calls would be less fatal and more mundane. “Most of the calls we did receive previously were when people had locked their keys in their cars,” She said. “Or their batteries were dead, and they needed motorist assistance.”

Over the last several years, the rate at which these call boxes have been used has dwindled significantly. Most emergency calls from the box would be rare occurrences, and even then, they would rarely be anything serious. “Most of the time when we received calls, it was activated by accident,” Mccoullugh said. “Machinery or other things would bump into them or set them off.” Students may have even noticed that some of these call boxes have been taken down recently. Mainly, the call boxes have become old and outdated and can no longer be repaired by the company that made them.

Fortunately, the callboxes have a suitable replacement in the form of  LiveSafe. LiveSafe is an app that allows users to call 911 or contact the UPD directly via text, video, or phone with optional anonymity. Users can also request a safe drive home or invite someone to track them around campus if something happens. LiveSafe can be downloaded free on the App Store or Google Play Store.