The Office of Student Life announced an anonymous text-based reporting system for hazing and other misconduct Tuesday. Through the vendor, RealResponse, students can text UAct at 888-708-8433 to report acts of misconduct.
RealResponse was originally created for anonymous two-way communication for athletes and coaches, but it has slowly adapted to serve other purposes like anonymous reporting on college campuses.
The new service comes to the University after two different instances of hazing occurred that ended in the arrest of a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon last spring and four members of Pi Kappa Phi last fall. It also follows the University introducing a webpage that specifically documents hazing violations on campus.
On the Student Life website’s page for UAct, students can find a step-by-step guide on how to use the new service. After texting the number with a full report including any photos or videos, students will receive a text from a University staff member during regular business hours to ask any clarifying questions. The report will then be sent to an appropriate campus office to investigate.
When writing a report, the UAct website asks that students include “What you observed,” “When you observed the situation,“ “Where it took place” and ”Who was involved or directly affected by it.” University officials will reach out in their investigation process to anyone named in the report.
The service is completely anonymous, with reports going into the RealResponse system, which then conveys it to University staff. The announcement of the service to students clarifies, “a real UA staff member will follow up with you, but they will not have access to see your phone number or know who submitted the report.”
The University said it is working to make this number widely known and available to all students to make reporting easier and more secure. It also urges students to contact UAPD at (205) 348-5454 for on-campus emergencies or 911 for off-campus emergencies.
