Everything you need to know about SAFE-U Alerts and Dinkytown Alerts

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Dinkytown? For a lot of us, it’s students, restaurants, bars, apartments, and unfortunately, safety. Safety has become a major part of the conversation surrounding Dinkytown for students, neighbors, and parents. But something that can get lost in that conversation is just how many resources are already available to help students feel safer.

One of the biggest is SAFE-U Alerts. University of Minnesota students are automatically enrolled in SAFE-U, which sends emergency notifications and advisories about safety situations affecting campus. But what many students may not realize is that Dinkytown Alerts are separate from regular SAFE-U Alerts. Dinkytown Alerts provide information about certain active incidents happening within a defined area off campus, and students have to specifically opt in through MyU to receive them.

More Information on SAFE-U Alerts can be found here: https://safe-campus.umn.edu/emergency-notifications

Students can use 624-WALK, a free walking security escort available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There’s also Gopher Chauffeur, which provides free rides to University students on and around campus during evening hours. The Rave Guardian app can act as a virtual safety escort by allowing someone to monitor your trip. Students can also visit the University's Off-Campus Safety Center in Dinkytown to connect directly with safety resources and information.

The problem is that when you're walking home late at night or find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, that isn't the time you want to be learning that these resources exist.

Through Imagine We Could at the Carlson School of Management, our group wants to focus on connecting students with these resources and increasing awareness of what is already available to them. We want more students living in Dinkytown to know that they can opt into Dinkytown Alerts, request someone to walk with them, get a free ride home, or access other safety resources when they need them.

Our goal isn't to suggest that one resource can eliminate every safety concern in Dinkytown. Instead, we want students to feel more connected to the tools and information that are already available.

Dinkytown is more than the safety concerns we hear about. It's home for thousands of students and an important part of the University community. By helping more people know about and use the resources around them, we can help students feel more informed and connected to the neighborhood they call home.

Join us October 26th from 10:15am-11:15am, for a campus safety event where you can get connected with proper resources to help make you feel safer in Dinkytown.