Survivor of Virginia Tech shooting, now expert on student safety, to speak at Yale

Kristina Anderson, a survivor of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007 and co-founder of a company that created an app to improve student safety — which is used at Yale and other schools across the nation — will speak on campus on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Her talk, “A New Era of Safety: How Yale Is Empowering Students to Stay Safe and Be Aware,” will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. in Davies Auditorium in the lower level of the Becton Science Center, 15 Prospect St. The event is free and open to the Yale community.

Since graduating from Virginia Tech, Anderson has dedicated herself to the issues of campus safety and emergency planning. As co-founder of LiveSafe, Anderson serves as a resource for violence prevention experts as she works with students and law enforcement across the country adopting the LiveSafe technology to lower barriers of communication and prevent crime.

Available to the Yale community, the Bulldog Mobile/LiveSafe app is designed to empower students, faculty and the entire community to stay safe by communicating with law enforcement when they feel at risk or wish to share information. The app is available to Yale students, faculty and staff to download for free in the iTunes or the Google Play Store.

“From first-hand experience, I know that student safety is always a very big priority for parents, universities and the students themselves — but very infrequently do we have an opportunity to discuss it before something happens,” Anderson said. “I’m excited for the chance to share with the Yale community my experience of having lived through a tragic mass shooting, my recovery and the lessons we’ve all learned, as well as to have a frank discussion about how LiveSafe’s technology can help students feel more connected and symbiotic to the important work of Yale law enforcement.”

Yale Public Safety began offering the Bulldog Mobile/LiveSafe smartphone app to the community this past August, and over 2,100 individuals have downloaded it. The Bulldog Mobile/LiveSafe app allows users to instantly communicate with Yale Police by reporting tips, placing emergency calls, or messaging police, and to discover safety resources. The Bulldog Mobile/LiveSafe application is designed for non-emergency tip reporting; however, it also permits caller-initiated GPS location sharing. When the user initiates it to call 9-1-1, emergency responders will know his or her exact location so they can better serve and assist.

The Bulldog Mobile/LiveSafe application will be a key part of Yale’s tool-kit approach to personal safety. In addition to the app, the Yale also has established the Yale Alert system, night safe rides, 2walk, and police and security patrols.

Yale students and faculty are encouraged to download the LiveSafe mobile app, available as a free download in iTunes and Google Play Store. Learn more about the application and download it.