Student voice remains one of the most underutilized tools in campus safety work, and Lightspeed Systems is committed to helping institutions change that. On June 10, Lightspeed Systems partnered with the Association of Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) to bring together higher education safety and student conduct professionals for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to build a safer, more supportive campus climate. The panel explored frontline strategies for earning student trust, encouraging reporting, addressing hazing prevention, and closing communication gaps between departments. This blog captures the key takeaways from that discussion, so your institution can put them to work.
The webinar featured two higher education safety professionals sharing their frontline experience. Kevin J. Hytten, Ed.D., Training Coordinator for the Division of Safety and Compliance at the University of Vermont, and Pete Anders, Chief of Police at Millersville University, brought a combined depth of perspective on student engagement and campus safety culture. The conversation was guided by moderator Jen Stevenson, Senior Student Conduct Officer and CLERY Compliance Liaison at Illinois State University.
Key Takeaways
Building Student Trust
Community engagement has to be intentional and daily, not left to a single community relations officer. Every officer should own it. As Pete Anders put it: “It’s not incredibly difficult, or it shouldn’t be, to do community engagement and community policing on a college campus, but it has to be intentional, and it has to be daily.” He also noted they built it into every job description: “We don’t have a community relations officer. We actually put it in our job description for every officer.”
Technology as a Trust Bridge
Both campuses found the LiveSafe app far more effective than legacy blue light systems. Students engage more when they can text anonymously rather than call. Kevin Hytten described the moment students discover the anonymous option: “Their eyes kind of light up a little bit. I’ve seen many students sort of go, oh, you know, I might actually use this.” Pete Anders tied texting directly to generational behavior: “They text so much more, rather than picking up the phone and calling.”
Student Voice Drives Adoption
At both institutions, safety tools gained traction when students championed them to other students. Kevin Hytten noted the app’s origins: “It was the SGA that actually wanted to see some sort of a safety technology and brought it to campus leadership.” Pete Anders described the rollout strategy: “It wasn’t, you know, gray-haired police chief or others saying, hey, sign up for this. It was actually we had the students signing the other students up, and saying, this is why it’s important.”
Culture Over Programs
Pete Anders made the point most directly: “It has to become part of the culture of judicial affairs, part of the culture of the police or public safety, part of the culture of each of the areas of your university, if you really want to have your university feel that not only safety is important, but a sense of belongingness.” Kevin Hytten pointed to the gap that still exists on his campus: “It’s not seen in the priority that we see it, and so it’s really just a thing that safety and compliance does. These folks do that over there.”
Serving Diverse Populations
For international students and others with difficult histories with law enforcement, meeting people in their own spaces matters. Kevin Hytten was direct about honoring those requests: “Sometimes people will be pretty honest with us, and they’ll say, if you’re going to bring an officer, please don’t have them in uniform. And I respect that, because for some people, just the presence of an officer in uniform can be very triggering for past experience they’ve had, or trauma.” He also offered a broader reminder: “For some people, their experiences are real. And what they’ve encountered from people wearing uniforms or representing law enforcement has not been positive. And while we know most of the officers across the country are not intending to hurt or harm anybody, we need to know that that impact is real.”
Online Safety is an Emerging Gap
Both panelists acknowledged that current efforts mostly cover phishing basics while more serious harms are growing faster than campus responses. Kevin Hytten was candid about the limits: “I’m not sure we’re doing a lot of things that really are getting at the heart of some of the harm or crimes or things that are occurring.” Pete Anders highlighted the sextortion threat specifically: “A lot of these are coming from foreign countries where we really don’t have a federal ability to prosecute. And so it’s just horrendous.” He also pointed to where the threat is hiding: “It’s actually games where people are getting in there and starting a conversation, and then from that conversation, saying, hey, you know, send me an instant message and I want to connect with you.”
Want to Watch the Webinar?
Campus safety is a shared responsibility, and student voice is one of the most powerful tools institutions have to strengthen it. If your campus is looking for technology that helps students speak up, report concerns, and stay connected to safety resources, Lightspeed Systems can help. Request a Demo and learn more about how we partner with higher education institutions to build safer, more supportive campus climates.
Want to see the recording?
Visit our partners at ASCA to view the recording. Passcode: b@uS%4zY