New Ways to Stay Safe at UT Tyler

The University of Texas at Tyler is considered a pretty safe place to be, but like any public establishment, there is always the potential for risk, especially situations that could be unique to college campuses. There is no need to fear, however. Here at UT Tyler, the campus police have worked on a large number of ways for students to stay safe and informed, including programs such as PatriotALERT and the upcoming release of a RAVE mobile safety app that lets you stay safe with just your cellphone or tablet on hand. If you are out and about without a mobile device, you may also want to know about the emergency blue phones on campus as well.

PatriotALERT is a system designed to send messages (emails, texts, and voice mails) to students and their parents if their contact information is included when the student signs up. Students automatically get emails sent to their campus account and adding phone numbers increases the chance that you will see these important notifications. The types of messages you might receive range from notices about bad weather expected around campus, closures, potentially threatening situations to the student, as well as notifications about emergency warning system drills so that people are aware that there is not any real issue while the drills are performed. If you want to opt in to PatriotALERT and have not already, visit your My.uttyler.edu account to sign up. This link provides you with all of the instructions.

We also have areas around campus that include emergency blue light phones that allow you to quickly get in contact with police dispatch services if you are in an unfavorable situation that requires immediate attention, or if you need help and don't have a working phone for whatever reason while you are on campus. If you ever need one of these, be sure to familiarize yourself with the map below so you know where to find one. The red numbers denote places where you may find an emergency blue light phone. Unfortunately, they do not look like a tardis. 

Click the map to Enlarge

Finally, we have the new App that has just been announced. This app, provided through RAVE Mobile Security, is called RAVE Guardian and can be found in your phone's app store. It provides the student with the ability to quickly contact campus police in an emergency situation, as well as to add numbers for other people the student may consider "Guardians"; from a trusted room mate to a family member nearby, or directly to your parents. We would highly recommend having at least two people as a guardian besides the police if you can, because it's good to know you have people who can help you if you need it. 

The app itself works by allowing students to quickly place a call or text to the campus police and their guardians if an unfavorable situation seems to be brewing and you feel you need help. The other useful function is what is called a safety timer, which is a button the student may press to set a timer for them to return safely from going out somewhere or to get out of a situation. If the timer is not deactivated by the student before it runs out, it will send a message to the police and the guardians designated in the app to send a police officer to check on you and ensure that you are in no trouble. 

These coupled with other measures of safety provided in the campus living areas help make our school as safe and secure as it can be. If you have any questions about campus safety or about the three services I wrote about above, leave a comment or feel free to directly contact Campus Police by following the link. The Campus Police page provides a lot of great information about security and about these systems.

Remember, have fun while you are at school, but be safety-conscious as well. Even in a safe area such as this, it's good to know what to do if you get stuck in a tough situation.

Memoirs of a Hawk

Twice a year, every year, the hawks move back to their home at The University of Texas at Tyler, close to the trees over by Ornelas Hall. They build their nests high up in the trees and they can become quite testy when there are students getting a little too close for comfort to their nests. These are not the memoirs of a "victim" of a hawk attack or of your lake dwelling duck, but rather the memoirs of a hawk.

Statistics, Spaghetti, and Squid at UT Tyler

"The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

"Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil." ~ Some T-Shirt I saw once, I think. maybe it was a bumper sticker? The point is, get those brain's a'crack'n and build the next anti-cancer drug. Or a death-ray powered by sharks. Just keep studying!

    Humans are creatures who are capable of great variety of skills including ( but not limited to! ) making sense of the senseless. We are capable of looking into the most bizarre labyrinths of madness ( the plot of Lost, the entire Affordable Care Act bill, or the ingredients list for Big Red soda ) and finding patterns; we look at that which we can't understand and we try to see meaning there. 

A CRASH Course in Collision Safety with UT Tyler Bloggers

One day, you’re just driving down the lane. Traffic is bad and you’re irritated because you might be late to that party you were supposed to be attending at 3 o’clock and it’s already 2:55, and people just refuse to stay in their lane. You’re trying to be careful when suddenly, a truck pulls into the road and the person in front of you slams on their brakes and they seem to be flying towards you, as you try your best to hit your brakes so you don’t slam into them! …But it’s too late. There’s a pop, and your airbags are flying and you’re stunned.

At least, that’s what happened to me this weekend. Car accidents are a terrifying experience for anyone, whether you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, or you’re in the middle of one of the busiest areas in town. You might be stunned and terrified, or heaven forbid, injured, when the dust settles. But there are some things you will want to remember if this ever happens to you:

1.        If your car is in a hazardous area, see if you and the other person involved can move into a safer area, such as a side road or a parking lot. If your car can’t be moved, turn on the hazards.
2.       Call the police if the wreck is bad. You want them there to help sort everything out and get the help you need.
3.     Call your parents or someone close to you who can come help you in the time of crisis. It not only helps you calm down, they can also help you figure out what to do.
4.     Call your insurance company as soon as you or someone with you has made the other calls. You want them to know what happened so they can help you deal with any costs you might have.
5.      Exchange your license, insurance info, and telephone number with the other person involved.
6.         Let the police decide who is at fault for the accident if there is a question. You might be stunned and not thinking clearly at the time and if you take money for the accident and agree not to call anyone, you may have issues later if there are more issues and the money doesn’t cover it.
7.     Stay calm and take a deep breath. Accidents happen and it is scary and awful, but don’t give up on driving or think you are not good enough. If you need extra help, consider defensive driving.

Here are a couple of things to always keep in mind and in your car in case of emergencies and accidents such as the one I described :

• Always have a copy of your insurance in your car or your wallet/purse. You don’t want to be caught without your information if you have to give it to the police and/or the other people involved in the accident
• Remember to keep your cell phone charged and have a charger in your car just in case so if you get stranded, you aren’t without a way to contact someone for help! (Don’t end up like this girl)
• Keep a blanket, water, and snacks in the car in case of being stranded or needing something to eat to stabilize you after a burst of adrenaline that comes with accidents.
• Make sure your spare tire is usable in case you have a flat or a blowout. If this happens to you, make sure you get the bad tire replaced at a tire shop on the first chance you get so you are never without an extra!
• If you have to pull over at night on the highway, pull off the road as far as you can in a well lit area (if possible) and put your hazard lights on.

That’s all the wisdom I have for you right now. Car accidents are scary and pretty bad, but they happen to a lot of people at least once in their lives. It’s always good to be prepared for them so you can face down the issue with as much confidence as you can. As for me, I think I need a couple of pain-killers and a break before I head back to class at UT Tyler.

Warning: Winter Weather Woes at UT Tyler

If you haven’t heard it already, here in Texas we have a saying about our weather: “If you don't like it, wait a minute.” Having lived in this state for my entire life, I can vouch for the validity of this statement. Our highs and lows can vary by 40°F for a single given day, and storms and cold snaps are known to creep up on Texans from seemingly out of nowhere.

It may sound interesting and kind of neat, but it’s very good to be aware that dangerous weather can happen around here at the drop of a hat. (On that note, if you click here, you can get weather alerts sent as texts to your cellphones! It’s really useful.) In this blog, though, I want to direct your attention to weather we may not all know how to handle and can expect more of early this semester: the Winter Weather Woes.

It Can Wait

Texting And Driving: It REALLY Can Wait

from: gettyimages.com

I recently found out that a family member has passed away. He was crossing the street and a driver who was going 25 mph over the speed limit while texting hit him. I still have no words to portray how i'm feeling.... All I know is it seems so unreal. It is ironic actually, how all these commercials by AT &T. They launched their Driving- It Can Wait pledge . 

I guess the point I am trying to make is, it really can wait. You always think that it would never happen to you, or you are way too cautious to get in an accident but the thing is, it CAN happen. 

It may not happen today, tomorrow, or a year from now. But there is ALWAYS that chance. We know that we are all occasionally guilty of doing this, but before you pick up that phone, just remember the consequences that might happen. I don't want to be a downer but this incident just opened my eyes, that something as small  as texting can change someone's life. 

Longboarding Will Save Me From Super Summer

I began longboarding back home about 2 years ago but stopped as soon as I started. I picked it up again in California (where I go to visit my mom every now and then).
And now, being car-less in Tyler, I have discovered how great it is in terms of transportation. 

So, this weekend I went ahead and got myself a 46" pintail longboard. 

Road Trip Safety

     It was New Years Day in 2011, when Katie Horn, an aspiring Math teacher,  made her way back from a trip to Austin, TX. Miss Katie took that weekend trip to Austin to see her older brother, and had to drive back a little too late. The long road was dark, and she couldn't see too far in front of herself. She hit a hog. Yeah, you heard me- she almost totaled her car by hitting a giant pig. She got stuck in the middle of nowhere.
     Because Katie was on this trip alone, she went to call for help. Her cellphone was dead, and she had no car charger. She kept on her lights for safety, and her battery died. She had to make a paper sign that read 'HELP ME' in scribbled pen because that is all she had.