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The Daily Tar Heel

Opinion: More information is needed on the free Uber project

The idea of subsidized Uber travel is an exciting one. Under a proposal led by National Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council leaders, travel via Uber ride-sharing would be subsidized for UNC students

While we encourage students to stay informed, the student body should not lose its sense of skepticism as this pilot project steamrolls toward final approval.

The promise of subsidizing Uber rides would provide a convenient transportation option for UNC students, drunk or otherwise. But this promise has been shrouded in secrecy. An anonymous donor is working directly with NPC and IFC leaders to implement the pilot. Talks in UNC Student Body President Houston Summers’ administration about the project have been underway since at least August. Given the lack of transparency, the democratically elected student body president has not been forthcoming with details on how race, gender, disability or driver prejudice could exclude certain students or create unsafe situations.

Usually, initiatives designed for student safety are handled by the administration, the Department of Public Safety or student government. If the Uber project is meant to benefit “One Carolina,” why does Summers seem to be hearing about it through the grapevine? If the project is handled by fraternity and sorority leaders, do non-Greek students have a reasonable expectation of inclusivity?

It seems a conversation with the potential to affect student safety is happening among those in the know and is taking place under the table. In order to move forward with negotiations with Uber, Summers admitted to signing a nondisclosure agreement, stipulating his consent to temporarily withhold information from the student body.

Before supporting this proposal, information regarding the implementation and impact on local town business and the Department of Public Safety is imperative. While projects geared toward student safety hang in bureaucratic purgatory, the generous benefactor’s motives are unknown rather than transparent and accountable.

Though the benefactor has every right to remain anonymous, this person or persons could work to provide specific details of the plan that remain veiled in secrecy. This may quell many of the concerns students ought to hold with the Uber subsidization project.

In an interview, Summers said the fact the pilot project works outside of the University’s cumbersome bureaucracy would quickly bring to light any problems facing it. We can only hope that this is the right judgement to make.

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