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Just outside of the bustling metropolis of downtown �糵����, Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus is located in the historic neighborhood of Bronzeville and is home to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students from across the country. As �糵����’s leading tech-focused university, Illinois Tech aims to be a safe, accessible, and welcoming community for people of all backgrounds where a student’s only concern should be their education.

That is why Illinois Tech has maintained and diligently enforced a culture of public safety on campus so that students can focus their energy on earning a degree and landing their dream job.

Here are 10 ways that Illinois Tech provides safety to students. 

1. Robust Public Safety Department

Located at Technology Park Central, just north of Michael Paul Galvin Tower, is the Department of Public Safety. Public safety officials, dispatchers, and watch commanders staff this center 24 hours a day, seven days a week, keeping a watchful eye on Illinois Tech’s academic buildings, facilities, and residence halls to make sure all is well. Public Safety can also be seen patrolling campus by car daily, and they even have two officers patrolling all three miles of campus by bike in the morning and at night to ensure that your journey to classes goes as expected.  

The public safety department additionally has a close relationship with local law enforcement and community leaders, creating further accessibility to university, community, and government resources for students, faculty, and staff.  

2. Secure Residence Halls

Across Illinois Tech’s 11 residence halls, a two-factor authentication-style system is in place at each entrance. At the beginning of every student’s first year on campus, they are given a Hawk ID card that works as a key to enter certain buildings on campus, including their designated residence hall. When you enter your residence hall, you are required to scan your ID to gain entry into the lobby. Once you’re in the lobby, you must scan your ID again at the resident check-in that is operated 24/7 by Illinois Tech staff who ensure that only students who live in the building can enter. In fact, off-campus students and on-campus students who live in a different building will not be able to access entry into a residence hall that they do not live in. 

3. The Rave Guardian App

The Rave Guardian app is a useful tool for students that offers easy access to a variety of health and safety resources provided by Illinois Tech and Public Safety. When downloading the app, you can make an account using your Illinois Tech login information and the app will automatically become tailored to Illinois Tech. There, you can find a directory of useful phone numbers with easy dialing, a friend and family safety tracking timer, public safety chat capability, links to useful resources, and the ability to receive alerts as push notifications through the app.

Through the app, you can also make a profile with the information that you would like Public Safety to know about you when contacting them through the app. This can include, but is not limited to, a picture, an address, and a vehicle description/license plate number. This app is currently available on the and .

4. Campus-Wide IIT Alert System

Illinois Tech’s IIT Alert is an emergency alert notification system that Public Safety uses to broadcast important information via text, phone, and email. These alerts are meant to notify students, faculty, and staff of severe weather in the area or ongoing situations that may impact the safety of campus communities. Students, staff, and faculty automatically receive these alerts via their Illinois Tech email, but if you’re looking to receive updates on additional devices, you can easily access this feature through the Illinois Tech Portal. Non-Illinois Tech users can also register for IIT Alert, so parents and family members can stay in the loop of what is happening on campus.  

5. 24/7 Emergency and Non-Emergency Phone Lines

Public Safety can be reached at any time across all four Illinois Tech campuses. Emergency phone lines are available for Mies Campus, the Conviser Law Center (located in downtown �糵����), Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus (located in west suburban Wheaton, Illinois), and Moffett Campus (located in Bedford Park, Illinois). Mies Campus also has a non-emergency line available for students, staff, and faculty who are dealing with a non-life-threatening issue. These can all be found on Public Safety’s website, or in the Rave app.  

6. Available Safety Escort Services

Public Safety offers 24/7 safety escort services on Mies Campus and at the Conviser Law Center for any students who have a significant concern about their personal safety. Safety escorts are available on both campuses upon request and include Public Safety officers walking you to your destination to make sure you get there safely. Security escorts to off-campus locations from Mies Campus are also available during specific hours to drive to a specified number of destinations for students who express a significant safety concern.  

Safety escorts can be reached through the Rave app or through the two Public Safety escort phone lines designated for Mies Campus and Conviser.

7. Several Emergency Phone Locations Across Campus

There are more than 50 emergency phones placed at various locations across Mies Campus for students, faculty, and staff who need to contact Public Safety but don’t have easy access to their cellphone. These phone lines can either be found outside, with one placed on each block of campus, or inside each academic building and residence hall. No matter your situation, you’ll always be able to contact our dispatch if you need them. 

8. Health and Well-Being Resources and Support

Illinois Tech is not only committed to your general safety on campus, but also your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) provides health care, advocacy, wellness, and knowledge to the students and community of Illinois Tech through a myriad of services and resources. The SHWC offers health services (such as wellness appointments and prescription services), counseling services (including individual or group therapy appointments and psychiatry), and crisis services, as well as general wellness resources. The SHWC is accessible on Mies Campus in Michael Paul Galvin Tower and in the Conviser Law Center. Some resources and services are also accessible through the Rave app, so you can get the information and help you need from the comfort of your own home! 

9. Culture of Cybersecurity

As the leading tech-focused university in �糵����, Illinois Tech is dedicated to keeping your devices and information safe. The university’s team of cybersecurity experts in the Office of Technology Services (OTS) employs advanced tools and strategies to mitigate risks, implement best practices, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards across campuses. This includes required cybersecurity training to be completed by all Illinois Tech students, faculty, and staff annually in order to promote smart and safe practices when navigating the cyber world. OTS can also be reached through the Rave app should a cybersecurity issue arise. 

10. Caring Campus Community

Among all of these other resources, Illinois Tech is a small, private institution that strives to provide a world-class education to students from all backgrounds, and the university’s amazing community of faculty, staff, and Public Safety officials aim to ensure that you receive that and more on a safe and secure campus. At Illinois Tech, students look after each other, and with a supportive community, ample resources, services, and security measures across our campuses, you can be sure that you’re getting a valuable education and amazing experiences in the right place.

“They are just like my children,” says Public Safety Watch Commander Stanley Brown about Illinois Tech students. “Their emphasis should be on learning and educating themselves. Our emphasis is on their safety.”

Want to hear more from Illinois Tech’s incredible Public Safety team? Check out the video below to learn more about Public Safety, campus services and resources, and the Rave Guardian app.