A parent of a University of Connecticut student is asking a court to step in and block the school’s plan to phase out blue emergency phones on campus.
Billyjoe Contreras filed an application Thursday in state Superior Court seeking an ex parte temporary injunction. The request would have stopped UConn from removing, disconnecting, disabling or decommissioning the blue-light emergency phones and their associated safety lights on the Storrs campus while the case moves forward.
The court denied that immediate request. Instead, it set a remote preliminary hearing for October 9, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
Both sides are expected to appear and discuss whether the dispute can be resolved. If not, and the judge needs evidence, another hearing could be scheduled, according to the order.
In the affidavit backing the application, Contreras wrote, "I am concerned that removing the phones these phones reduces access to critical emergency assistance when a student’s personal phone is unavailable, uncharged, lost, stolen, or unusable," Contreras said in the affidavit supporting the application.
He also wants the university ordered to keep maintaining and operating the system, not just halt the phase-out.
"Of course we want safety measures," Contreras said Thursday. "Our kids have been living in our homes for 17 years and now they are living on campus."
UConn has said the blue emergency phones are “obsolete” because nearly every student now carries a cellphone. When someone pressed the button on one of the kiosks, it connected to University Safety, allowing the user to describe the problem and enabling police to be sent to the location.
The university says students have other options, including the LiveSafe mobile app, which can connect them to the Emergency Communications Center by text, video or phone call. UConn has also said students can text 911, with those messages routed to the center.
Contreras also started a Change.org petition on Sept. 29 aimed at saving the blue emergency safety lights. More than 2,500 people have signed it so far.
One of them, UConn student Steven Guzman, said the blue lights still matter on campus.
“It’s a great mechanism that students can use when either experiencing a crime or noticing one from near or far,” he said. “Being able to contact authorities with a click of a button."
UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz has said the school does not plan to remove all of the blue phones. She said they will remain in places where cell service is less reliable than in other parts of campus, and that connectivity around each location is being assessed.
In Other News...
UConn Realignment Talk Is Back With The House Holding The Stakes
College sports realignment talk has a way of resurfacing whenever the rules of the road might change, and UConn is back in the conversation after the Protect College Sports Act cleared the Senate on a 77-22 vote. The bipartisan bill, which has the backing of President Donald Trump, now heads to the House, where its conference-related provisions could affect how the next round of reshuffling takes shape.
For a program like UConn, already used to living with realignment chatter from the outside, the timing matters because the legislation could put fresh limits on how big power conferences are allowed to get. On3 has already floated speculative landing spots around the sport if the bill becomes law, and that kind of projection only adds fuel to a debate that has a habit of reaching beyond football and into every corner of the athletic department. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets A Chance To Answer One Frustrating Syracuse Trend
UConn gets another crack at Syracuse on Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, with kickoff set for 12:02 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. It is the 15th meeting between the schools, and the timing matters for a Huskies team still trying to steady itself after a recent loss to Miami (OH).
For UConn, this is more than just another nonconference game on the schedule. Syracuse has owned the series in recent years, which has turned this matchup into a reminder of how quickly a familiar opponent can become a persistent problem. The Huskies will have home field this time, and they'll be looking to make that advantage count in a game that carries a little extra weight because of what has happened the last several times these teams have lined up. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets An Early Syracuse Test Across Three October Matchups
Syracuse and UConn are about to see plenty of each other, with Saturdays football meeting at Pratt & Whitney Stadium opening a busy stretch that continues next week at Mohegan Sun Arena. There, Syracuses women and men will each face UConn in exhibition games on Oct. 12 and 13, giving the Orange an early chance to measure themselves against a familiar heavyweight from a different sport.
For Syracuse, the timing makes the basketball matchups especially interesting. The mens game will offer the first exhibition look under Gerry McNamara, while the womens side gets another demanding test for Felisha Legette-Jack against a program that has repeatedly ended Syracuses NCAA Tournament runs in recent years. As crossover weekends go, this one gives the Orange a lot more than just a change of venue. [Read more 🡒]