At Penn State, escorts are carefully screened and selected students employed by the Department of University Safety and are available from dusk to dawn, 365 days a year by calling 865-WALK.  The primary goal of the escort service is to deter harassment and assault, and enable students, faculty and staff to travel with a greater sense of security. Mobile escorts are also usually available, when necessary.

The Penn State emergency phone system is designed to aid in providing security to the University community by allowing individuals to quickly report emergencies or criminal activity directly to police, even in relatively remote areas of campus.

Three types of emergency phones are in use at University Park:

·      Emergency Phones can be recognized by the blue light above it.  There is no dial or number keypad.  To activate the phone, simply pick up the receiver and press the red button (some do not have red buttons and will activate immediately after picking up the receiver). The phone will then be answered by University Police.

·      Emergency/Pole Phones, also called “call boxes,” are the newest style of emergency phones and can easily be located by the blue lights above them.  These phones also have no receiver, but instead contain a built in speaker.  To activate the phone, push the red button and the phone will immediately call University Police, or push the button marked "ON" and you will hear a dial tone. \

·      Residence Hall Emergency/Courtesy Phones are identical in appearance to the call boxes described above, but do not have a blue light.  These phones are located in the residence hall areas, usually near the entrances of a residence hall.  These phones enable visitors to call a resident for an escort when the residence hall is secured.

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Contact: Amy Neil, (814) 865-7517 or e-mail aen4@psu.edu.