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Editor:
I am the directory of the ASUA Escort Service. As most people know, our service is under funded. I have worked very hard to find both a temporary and permanent solution to this problem. Among campus administrators there's a lot of moral support, but little financial support.
There is only one temporary solution for this school year - beg. And beg I have. I have appealed to several departments on campus for financial help.
ASUA elections will be held in February. I have begun work to put a funding initiative on the ballot next spring. I am proposing a referendum on a $2 campus safety fee. In conjunction with the Dean of Students Melissa Vito, I am also hoping to give faculty and staff the option of allotting $1 from their payroll checks to this fund. If these initiatives pass, I assure you that the Escort Service will be fully funded indefinitely.
Why should you vote for this initiative? First, Saferide is a very efficient and effective program. More money could mean expanded hours (Friday and Saturday nights) and more vehicles which would reduce our response time. Second, Safewalk is not just a different extension of Saferide. When our escorts are not walking someone to their destination, they are patrolling what I consider high risk areas: parking lots and garages (Park Ave., Cherry St., etc.), the Main Library, and lately sororities (we've caught some peeping Toms). We are a visible deterrent.
I believe there are other benefits to our patrols as well. Visible patrols in the right places (bike racks, parking lots) will reduce and prevent incidence of other crimes. With a volunteer system, however, I can only do patrols from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. More money would expand the number of escorts and their hours.
Third, are you really going to miss $2? We seem to get gouged so much here as it is. Tuition, books, parking permits, parking fines, expensive Student Union food. Wouldn't it be nice to know precisely where the extra money is going? You will know where it is going, how it's spent, and hopefully you won't feel as though it is being wasted on something abstract that will never help you. It is something which could actually benefit you directly every night. If you parked far off campus when you came to class or lab because you have to pay for parking until 10 p.m. - 621-SAFE. Working late in Old Main and you parked in the Cherry St. garage? How about the Pi Phi who lives in Coronado Hall - 621-SAFE.
I often feel as though I'm the only one who cares, that no one will help. As frustrated as I get in my crusade for campus safety, I know there are a lot of people out there who appreciate us. I hope some of that silent majority will respond with your thoughts on my proposals. But for now, I'll be content with the warm smiles and "thank you's" I get every night. For me, that's what makes it all worth the effort.
Timothy J. Walker
director, ASUA Escort Service
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