Administrators at Georgetown University have given the firm responsible for repairing and activating GU's new emergency call box system one month to fix the phones that students use to call for emergencies or risk losing its university contract, according to The Hoya, Georgetown University's student newspaper.
Campus officials last week told SST, the Virginia-based security agency, to remove all of its call boxes from campus immediately.
Half of the firm's 40 boxes have already been removed, according to Karen Frank, vice president for facilities and student housing.
The new call box system has been plagued with difficulties since its initial installation. Nearly half of the SST boxes have been inoperative during much of the past year and others have proven unreliable in university tests.
GU officials are concerned about students' safety after recent attacks in and around the campus.
"All of us are concerned about the incidents that have occurred in recent weeks," wrote David Morrell, vice president of campus safety, in an e-mail. "Please know that safety and security are very high priorities for our institution"
