University to install new blue light phones

Thirty-two of the new telephones, which cost about $4,000 each, will be installed in August and paid for by the University of Arizona. The remaining 31 new phones, also funded by the UA, are scheduled to be operational by next April.

The UA's 24 phones are used about nine to 10 times a week, said University Police Cmdr. Brian Seastone.

However, those phones can be difficult for some disabled people to utilize, said Herb Wagner, assistant director of UA Risk Management and Safety.

Installed in the 1980's, the phones are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 because they function with key pads, making activation difficult for some people. The new phones are activated by pushing a button.

About 65 UA students have mobility impairments, although not all students register their disabilities, said Carol Funckes, the university's Center for Disability Related Resources interim director.

The emergency phones now in use will be made compliant for people with disabilities in about two years and will remain functioning until then, Wagner said. The university will need to spend about $450 to modify each phone, he said.

Representatives from several campus departments and organizations surveyed the campus in 1997 to determine how many more emergency phones were necessary, Wagner said.

"We are trying to make it (campus) a safer place," he said.

Seastone said the phone project is a safety measure and was not prompted by a crime increase.

"The campus is fairly safe - this just adds ways for people to contact police in case of emergencies," Seastone said.

UA Residence Life Director James Van Arsdel said the extra emergency phones are beneficial because they may help better protect students living in dorms.

"People who live in residence halls are more likely to be on campus at night," Van Arsdel said.