TrailSafe, a new student-led initiative, aims to help students feel safe and supported at campus gatherings.
TrailSafe is a new volunteer program on campus, created by the Healthy Trailblazers Coalition faculty and students. It was established to ensure safety at Utah Tech University’s events.
“So its [program] purpose is to make sure that students feel safe when they are going to events and they do not feel like they are alone,” said Coco Mazet, the main organizer of the Healthy Trailblazers Coalition, and a sophomore communication studies major from California.
The Healthy Trailblazers Coalition organization began discussing the creation of the TrailSafe initiative since April and began working on it in August.
“TrailSafe was an idea that we came up with the help of our key leaders, our faculty on campus, and it was an idea to essentially make campus feel safer at longer events,” said Saige Coates, student prevention leader of the Healthy Trailblazers Coalition, and senior nursing major from Herriman.
The TrailSafe team consists of students who are members of the Healthy Trailblazers Coalition, the organization that improves the physical and mental well-being of students. Individuals interested in volunteering for TrailSafe will be trained on how to respond in situations involving physical fights or medical emergencies.
The training will be provided by the Healthy Trailblazers Coalition faculty.
TrailSafe collaborates with other organizations on campus, including the Booth Wellness Center and the Utah Tech Student Association.
“The reason we are collaborating with UTSA is [because] they run all the events on campus and we want to make sure that they are able to talk with us about what events happen, [and] what tends to happen at these events,” Mazet said.
Members of TrailSafe will be present at events to give needed resources for students, such as bandages or medical attention. They will check the well-being of students at events and prevent possible physical conflicts or harassment.
The first event where they will be present is Chaos, the annual Halloween dance Oct. 31.
“At Chaos, we will have volunteers in the dance walking around, checking up on students and talking to them to check that they are feeling all right,” Mazet said.
The TrailSafe team will be easily recognizable at the event. They will wear colorful harnesses and stand near the Healthy Trailblazer Coalition booth, which will be located outside of the event space.
After the dance, TrailSafe will offer the Bison Buddy Walk program, where members escort students to their dorms to ensure they get home safely.
Some students at Utah Tech have expressed interest in the new organization and look forward to the improvement during campus events.
“It [Trailsafe] is great, and I think it helps me feel a little bit safer,” Addison Williams, a junior marketing major from Las Vegas, said. “It just makes me want to know more about the organization.”
