Sprint and Rave Wireless are partnering to offer college students enhanced safety through instant communications.

Beginning this fall, students at Allen University in South Carolina and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) will be able to access group text messaging and polling, campus directories, university events calendar and class schedules.

A big issue for many universities is the safety and security of students on campus. Allen University, located in Columbia, S.C., is working with Sprint and Rave Wireless to provide all full-time students with GPS-capable handsets. By integrating GPS- location into the school's public safety system, students will have a greater level of security by allowing the school's public safety officials to identify a student's location, if requested by the student. In addition, the mobile phones, referred to as an 'e-learning tool' by the school administration, will foster strong student-faculty relationships by facilitating real-time communication, course information and in-class assessments.

Starting this fall, UMES will also offer the Sprint solution with Rave applications to all incoming students. Through a state-of-the-art dual-network Custom Network Solution (CNS) designed for this campus, Sprint has created a unified messaging platform for students and faculty to communicate, especially helpful during an emergency or national catastrophe.

To learn more about Sprint solutions for higher education, visit www.sprint.com/highereducation .