We Care About Your Safety and Security
Northern’s Office of Public Safety is committed to community policing and we partner with campus groups and the village of Ada to ensure an excellent quality of life and a safe environment for everyone on campus.Additionally, the Ethics and Conduct Hotline provides a confidential and anonymous way to alert administrators of unsafe or unethical behavior before it spirals out of control.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE DIAL 911
Committed to Service and Security
Rave Alert System
The Rave Guardian app turns any smartphone into a personal safety device. With Rave Guardian, ONU students, faculty, staff and affiliates can create a profile using their ONU username and password and invite friends and family into their safety network. Here are instructions:
(1) Download the free Rave Guardian app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. (2) Open the app and follow the steps to link to your ONU account. (3) Provide your cell phone number and wait for a text message providing code. Enter the code into the app. (4) Provide your ONU email address and wait for an email providing a code. Enter the code into the app. (5) Set up your guardians by adding roommates, friends and family.
Facts to Give you Peace of Mind
While Ada is a small Midwestern town where crime is infrequent and neighbors keep watch, ONU is prepared for any emergency situation with top-notch safety and security procedures.
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1 safety notification system that will text and email you immediately in the event of an emergency
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6 crime prevention and safety education programs offered
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24/7 access to services like campus escorts, vehicle lockout and vehicle jump start
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Office of Public Safety is fully committed to a model of proactive community policing. Our dedicated team works 24/7, 365 days a year to maintain a safe, welcoming, and high-quality environment for everyone in the Polar Bear family. Rather than just responding to incidents, our officers actively partner with campus student groups and the local village of Ada law enforcement to prevent issues before they arise and foster a tight-knit, cooperative community culture.
- Actionable Step: Save the ONU Public Safety non-emergency line (419-772-2222) in your student's phone contacts before move-in day so help is always just a quick call away.
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We believe peace of mind shouldn’t have a curfew. ONU Public Safety provides a variety of free, 24/7 services to ensure students always feel secure navigating campus. These include on-demand campus safety escorts to walk students to their residence halls at night, as well as practical motorist assistance services like emergency vehicle battery jump-starts and vehicle lockout assistance if they accidentally leave their keys inside their car.
- Actionable Step: If your student is studying late at the library or working in an engineering lab past midnight, remind them they can call Public Safety anytime to request a friendly walking escort back to their dorm.
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Communication during an urgent situation is critical. ONU utilizes the Rave Alert System, a high-speed notification network that instantly broadcasts synchronized text messages and emails to the entire campus community the moment an emergency situation or severe weather threat unfolds. To make things entirely seamless for our families, the university automatically uploads all active student cell numbers and university email addresses directly into the Rave database—so there is no tedious signup process required.
- Actionable Step: Have your student double-check that their cell phone number is fully updated and correct inside their Self-Service Banner account so they never miss an urgent text alert.
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Yes, absolutely! ONU proudly integrates with the Rave Guardian App, which essentially turns any smartphone into a personalized mobile safety device. Through the free app, students can build a profile using their ONU login credentials, easily invite close friends and family members into their personal safety network, set "virtual travel timers" when walking across campus, and text anonymous safety tips directly to our campus dispatchers if they notice something unusual.
- Actionable Step: Download the free Rave Guardian App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and follow the simple steps on our site to pair it with your official @onu.edu student email.
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We emphasize a "See Something, Say Something" philosophy across campus. For immediate, active emergencies, students should always dial 911 or contact Public Safety directly. However, for non-urgent or systemic concerns, the university provides a dedicated, completely confidential Ethics and Conduct Hotline. This secure platform gives students, faculty, and families an anonymous way to alert university administrators to unsafe, unethical, or hazardous behaviors before they can spiral into larger issues.
- Actionable Step: Visit the main Public Safety page to bookmark the hotline portal, ensuring you always have a secure, quiet way to look out for the welfare of the campus community.
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Yes! True safety relies on active empowerment and education. The Department of Public Safety regularly offers six distinct crime prevention and safety education initiatives throughout the academic year. These interactive programs teach students situational awareness, cyber-safety precautions, basic self-defense strategies, and standard active-threat response tactics like Run, Hide, Fight so they can move through the world with confidence.
- Actionable Step: Keep an eye on the Northern Network campus events calendar during the first few weeks of the fall semester to register for upcoming student safety workshops.
Department of Public Safety
We look forward to working with you to provide an atmosphere that will encourage learning and community cooperation. Contact us with questions, concerns or suggestions that will enable us to better serve your safety and security needs.Department of Public Safety
402 W. College Ave, McIntosh Center
Ada, Ohio 45810
419-772-2222
publicsafety@onu.edu