Safety will be on all of the Associated Student Government Senate’s mind tonight, but some senators aren’t so sure the proposal to purchase keychain safety alarms for students is the best way to go.

The bill calls on administrators to fund the purchase of 1,000 keychain safety alarms, which produce a 138-decibels sound when pushed. The alarms would be purchased from a British company called Personal Alarm Company, Ltd. at $6 apiece.

The bill would ask the university to purchase alarms and distribute them to interested students at Norris University Center, the Women’s Center, sororities and fraternities, and dormitories on campus.

“If I can save one person with these alarms, it will be completely worth it,” said Christina Appleton, a former sorority senator who authored the bill.

In response to senators’ concerns at last week’s ASG meeting that the money could be better spent, Appleton said she feels that any improvement is a good improvement.

“I’m not asking the administration to spend $42,000 on something that I don’t know (will be well received) by all 7,000 people at Northwestern,” she said.

And even though the safety whistles that ASG Senate brought to campus last year are seen as a big success by many students, Appleton said she thinks the alarms will be even more effective at preventing crime and fostering a greater sense of safety on campus.

“Most people walk around holding their keys anyway. You can just push the button. It’s more timely.”

But Meredith Kesner, an off-campus senator who has headed many of the safety initiatives that have come out of ASG, said she thinks the alarms could have “devastating effects” on a number of levels.

If a student is partying, Kesner said, they might push the alarm button in jest.

“It’s going to further strain the relationship between neighbors in Evanston and students,” Kesner said.

Additionally, there is evidence that the decibel range could cause permanent damage to the ear if produced for too long.

Still, the initiative “does show some forward-thinking in ASG,” said Kesner, who plans to fight the bill’s passage at Wednesday’s meeting.

Although there is only one school — the University of Southern Florida — in the United States that offers a personal alarm system to its students, several schools in the United Kingdom hand out alarms.

Hatty Slovak, who runs the Women’s Center at the University of Bradford in England, said students receive their alarms during orientation at the beginning of the academic year.

“I think students feel a lot safer having the alarms,” Slovak said. “It makes them aware that they have to look after their safety.”

The alarms have been proven to help avert attacks if used within five seconds of the start of the attack, Slovak said.

The university began using the alarms about 10 years ago, Slovak said, adding that they have been so successful that administrators are looking into purchasing the alarms for faculty as well.

Even though Slovak said female students utilize the alarms more than male students, some NU students said both men and women felt the alarm initiative is worth the cash.

“When the attacks started, I had my mom send me pepper spray,” said Anne Mikelonis, a Weinberg freshman. “Knowing that you have some way to defend yourself … just makes me feel more comfortable.”