Choose ‘North Dakota State University (Pathlight)’ from the available list.

After you have started a safety assist (pressed “Follow Me Now” button) you should see the timer count down and there is small font text under the timer that says, “Location updated - <time>” which tells you the last time it made contact with the main system.  Also, to the right of the timer are bars that function similarly to the ones for cell service;  these indicate location accuracy and show the system is working.  You may need to wait a minute or so for your phone to discover its location of if you are inside of a building or other obstructed area your smartphone may not be able to get location data.  For best coverage in all locations, cellular data usage should be enabled.

It needs to run on an iPhone or Android smartphone (at least version 5.0, Lollipop). It is not designed for tablets because they do not have phone numbers.

Yes. You will receive texts at different times during your walk, such as one minute before your safety assist timer is about to end or if you have not moved for a while. Depending on your mobile plan, text charges may apply.

No. This is an opt-in service. It only tracks your location if you turn on the application and click the “Follow Me Now” button.

No. You are the only one who can initiate a safety assist.

Yes. Your smartphone will start sending location data when you press the “Follow Me Now” button.

NDSU Personal Safety and Security Assist is monitored in NDSU’s 24/7 Police Communications Call Center, but it is not designed to be observed continuously. It will notify dispatchers immediately if there is an alarm so they can initiate appropriate responses quickly.

It uses your smartphone’s GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular network location services.

The system uses your smartphone’s GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular functionality to provide your location, and this is generally accurate. However, there are situations when GPS locations are not as accurate or service does not function at all, such as in buildings, tunnels, under bridges or when your smartphone’s battery is low. This would be the same if you were using an application like Google Maps. You can tell how precise the location data is at any time by looking at the bars to the right of the safety assist time. Green bars indicate accuracy, red bars mean, at that particular time, the app is not as accurate as it could be.

The “SLIDE FOR HELP” icon sends a silent alarm to the Communications Call Center. Pressing the "701-231-8998" button initiates a telephone call to the Communications Call Center.

When you feel threatened and need to silently alert NDSU Police.

Yes, if you swipe the “Slide for Help” button, an alarm is sent to the NDSU 24/7 Police Communications Call Center to alert a dispatcher.

When there is a threat and calling does not put you in direct danger. Using this button is preferred if possible because you can provide the Communications Call Center with vital information in real time. However, don’t hesitate to swipe the “SLIDE FOR HELP” button if you need to.

No. An alarm is not sent because in this scenario the call is being treated similarly to a 911 call. Dispatchers will see the path you have taken to the point you started the phone call.

24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

No. If you’re going to the bookstore you could type “Bookstore,” “Union,” “Memorial Union,” or any combination. That said, please include enough information to help the Communications Call Center find you if necessary.

One of the alerting capabilities of NDSU Personal Safety and Security Assist is based on whether you are overdue. If you go beyond the time you set or extended, the Communications Call Center will operate from the assumption that you need help.

You have two options:

1. If you will be at a location for a while, press the “I have arrived safely” button and start a new session when you are ready to resume.
2. You can press the “Extend 5 Minutes” button at any time, and you can press it as many times as you need to.

It should work if your smartphone is configured to use it in the background. In most cases, a small NDSU Personal Safety and Security Assist icon will display in the top left side of the smartphone’s screen when it is running, regardless of whether you see the app open or if another one has focus. Please note, depending on your particular smartphone and/or mobile carrier, your device might not be able to do both data and voice functions at the same time. If this is the case, making or receiving calls will stop NDSU Personal Safety and Security Assist from sending the latest location data.

Yes. In some situations, this might be a better option.

Yes. The application is similar to other GPS-enabled smartphone applications and is able to track you when you are off campus. When outside of the NDSU Police response area, if you use of the "Slide for Help" feature to trigger an alarm at the Campus Call Center, or if there is an overdue alarm, your status information will be forwarded to the attention of the authorities with applicable jurisdiction in the area from which the alarm originated.

Yes. Please take every precaution possible to ensure your safety. NDSU Personal Safety and Security Assist is one tool at your disposal, but it does not replace taking appropriate safety measures and using common sense.

Pathlight should only be used on a smartphone (no tablets, even if cellular-enabled).  The NDSU Communications Call Center needs to be able to call the assist smartphone in case there is an emergency.

It takes three to seven minutes from start to finish.  Less time if you have gone through the install once before.  There are a couple of steps that can be a little confusing, so spending a couple of minutes downloading the instructions.

No, it literally takes only a couple of seconds to start an assist and the click of one button when you arrive safely.  In an assist, one swipe sends an emergency silent alarm to the NDSU Communications Call Center or one click automatically dials them for an emergency telephone conversation.  The enrollment process does take a few minutes, but is only done once.  It establishes a security token in the app so you don’t have to login again.  Open the app and you are ready to go.  The only time you will need to re-authenticate/re-enroll is during an app upgrade or if for some reason you need to uninstall and reinstall Pathlight.

Yes.  If you open Pathlight and do NOT press the 'Follow Me Now' button it can provide this functionality.  Pathlight will NOT track you unless you press the 'Follow Me Now' button or you swipe the 'Slide for Help" button.

It is recommended to only have Pathlight installed on one smartphone at a time.  While multiple smartphones can be configured to use Pathlight, only one phone number can be in the system at a time.  It is important that the phone number entered during the device’s enrollment process is that of the device which is actually using Pathlight for assists.  The NDSU Communications Call Center needs to be able to call this number in case there is an emergency.

At the end of the enrollment process, the Pathlight app will be open and ready to start an assist.  The smartphone will also have a browser window open that is logged into the Pathlight account that was used during the installation.  You may log out and close the window.

Pathlight is a registered trademark of the CBORD Group, Inc.