Facts: Campus Police and University Housing have a contracted safety escort service in place for students to use after dark if they are traveling across campus and feel unsafe. John Barnwell, Campus Police captain, confirmed there is an issue with students abusing the escorts as a free taxi service.
Opinion: Although it is in place for them to use, students should seriously consider their reasons for calling a safety escort. If they feel unsafe, there shouldn’t be a doubt if they should call. However if students are just being lazy, they should not use the escort service and waste security staff’s time.
Although you may not have heard, students use the safety escort service to get around campus after dark, but most are using it more as a taxi service than for its intended use.
Most students know not to call 911 unless there is an emergency, and there is little difference with the safety escort service. The blatant misuse of this safety resource is irritating because of how selfish it is, and how it can legitimately put other people in danger.
The peak hours for safety escort requests are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. During those four hours, there are busses running to places someone might need to go on University business. Better time management and use of public transportation can stop this safety resource from being exploited.
Often, when a student places a safety escort call and realize they will receive a walking safety escort, not a driving escort, they decline the request. For this, the University’s bus system is in place as a walking alternative.
These safety escorts are not in place to be used as personal taxis when students make poor decisions and want to use the service as their only transportation option. Students should consider the effect they could have on the safety of students who are legitimately concerned about their safety, and need an escort.
We do not want to discourage legitimate use of this service. Anyone who has a genuine safety concern should feel no qualms about calling and requesting a safety escort after dark. Campus Police will gladly supply you an escort to get you safely wherever you are headed on campus.
Should the abuse of this service start to cause serious safety issues, the University should look into other ways to get students around campus. Students should be proactive themselves and consider looking at the Wolf Wheels program to rent a bike if they are really in a crunch for time.
No matter how students get around campus at night, something should be done to alleviate the impairment of the security escorts to provide a safe alternative to walking. Whether its fewer people using the service as a taxi, contracting more escorts or making some other form of transportation available to students, no one should end up waiting at some place where they feel unsafe.
