College students at Montclair State University [1]in New Jersey are now required to purchase a cell phone complete with a global positioning system (GPS) for safety reasons, reports WCBSTV.com [2].

It is the first program of its kind on U.S. campuses.

The "School Phone"—operated by the carrier, Sprint—allows students to check their campus email, includes unlimited text messaging, and provides students with the option of turning on its emergency GPS-tracking feature.

Montclair Police Department Chief Paul Cell lauded the phone: "What it does is allow students to have an extra pair or group of people watching over them when they're going from one location to another."

But the phone has downsides says students. Students complain the phone's plan only provides 50 peak voice minutes a month and carries a base price tag of $420, which has been added to tuition costs.

While the university says it does not profit from the phones, many parents and students feel the phone should be free-of-charge.

One student's mother told the news station, "It's very expensive and quite honestly for the protection of the kids on campus the school should be giving that for free"