SAFE Escort Funding Eliminated

The Safety and Security Committee of student government unanimously decided late Tuesday night to stop providing $32,000 to fund the late-night, on-campus shuttle service.

The committee made its decision after it discovered numerous examples of poor money management and low ridership rates in previous years. "SAFE Escort is an inefficient use of allocated money from our committee," said committee Chairwoman Alexa Kleysteuber.

Committee members also said they think SAFE Escort is a duplication of services provided by the well-established Point-2-Point on-campus busing system.

"It wasn't providing that much student safety -- it was providing a convenience," said Student Body Treasurer Michael Vollmer.

At the committee's meeting Tuesday night, SAFE Escort officials made a last-ditch attempt to save their organization when they presented a scaled-back budget to the committee.

The newly proposed budget asked for about $14,000 in funding per year -- a drastic reduction from the $32,000 allocation.

But after three hours of deliberation, the committee said allocating even that much money is a waste. Instead, the committee decided to allocate $2,500 to SAFE Escort to keep it running only through the end of the semester.

"We are all very disappointed," said Benjamin McKinnon, SAFE Escort vice president. "We made the appropriate changes (from past years). We felt that we showed that to them, and we hoped to turn it around."

With the cuts, the committee will get back in January more than 75 percent of its budget and also will receive nearly $20,000 SAFE Escort had in reserve.

Student government officials would like to use the money to develop a program to reach out to off-campus students who live within walking distance of campus.

"We are looking to cover the bases where Point-to-Point fails -- in close neighborhoods," said Kleysteuber. "There is still a small zone around campus where (students) walk to campus at night."

While no cost estimates have been determined, Kleysteuber said, "If it costs more money and helps more students, then it would be OK."

Officials said the new program would be running by the beginning of the spring semester. With any leftover money, committee members are considering expanding the the off-campus Safe Ride program that aims to reduce drunken driving and starting a handful of other initiatives to improve campus safety.

Despite the cut in funding, committee members stressed that their move should not necessarily dissolve SAFE Escort. The group was encouraged to search for other sources of funding through grants or possibly Student Congress.

Other committee members said they would like to see SAFE Escort continue as a volunteer program, which it was before it began receiving student fees in 1994.

But SAFE Escort officials discussed that possibility at a recent meeting and decided it was unreasonable for drivers to work late hours without pay. McKinnon said, "It is unlikely we will be volunteers. It is too much to ask -- that is why it went to a paid job in the first place."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.