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Riding in style: Safe Ride maintains mission |
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Thursday, 23 August 2007 |
by JULIA HARR
Lifestyles Reporter
Safe ride drivers go the distance when it comes to ensuring the safety of Appalachian State University students.
Every night three or four drivers travel close to 75 miles taking students from point A to point B.
Their nights aren’t always pleasant, but they are always happy to help.
Jessica B. Nelson, a senior psychology major, starts her fourth year with Mountaineer Safe Ride this semester.
“I was looking for on-campus employment that gave me more hours than
food services or the gym,” she said. “This job pays pretty well, too.”
Safe Ride currently employs seven drivers and are considering hiring an
eighth. The drivers start driving at 6 p.m. and their shifts end at 2
a.m.
Drivers are permitted to listen to music during their shifts as long as it’s not offensive or too loud, Nelson said.
She also said the drivers communicate with the dispatchers via CB radio.
| File Photo | The Appalachian
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Nelson has acquired her fair share of interesting stories in the past three years.
Last year, a mystery white van drove around campus picking up students and pretending to be Safe Ride.
“I think they were probably trying to pick up girls,” Nelson said. “They got in a lot of trouble.”
Nelson’s van was
also struck by a drunk driver, totaling the vehicle. No passengers were
with her at the time and she was not seriously injured.
Nelson has had a rather rewarding experience with Safe Ride; she even met her fiancé through the job.
“I picked him up and I was listening to his favorite band,” she said.
“We started talking and eventually exchanged numbers. Later, I saw him
again at a party and well, I guess the rest is history.”
The drivers are only one part of the 262-RIDE system. Dispatch workers are necessary to keep things running.
Trey H. Snellings is a full time Safe Ride employee and graduate student.
“We average 180 to 220 calls a night and we have done as many as 290,” he said.
When temperatures start dropping, call volume rises because students don’t like to cross campus in the cold.
“Sometimes it gets to you when phones are ringing and the radios are
going off all at the same time,” he said. “Not many people seem to
understand that I have more people to work with than just them.”
Snellings does more than just answer Safe Ride phone calls. He is also in charge of calling EMS, police and a towing service.
“When the student jumped off of the parking deck, I was the one to make that call,” he said.
Because of the increase of users, a second dispatcher will assist
Snellings this year to help get as many calls taken care of as
possible.
He also keeps track of various items left in the vans.
Women’s underwear, drug paraphernalia, alcohol and cell phones are some of the items that have been recovered.
“The students do a really good job,” administrative assistant for the
Department of Parking and Traffic Mary R. Farthing said. “A lot of
students get ill because we can’t always accommodate them.”
Farthing says that it is sometimes difficult for the dispatchers to keep up with only one phone line.
Many students think if they get on the van and they are intoxicated,
they will get reported. Students who don’t act uncivil will not get
reported to University Police, she said.
“I would rather have them ride with us than drive,” she said.
Another common misconception is that Safe Ride keeps tabs on no shows.
Many students use the name of another student because of this.
Nelson said that students wouldn’t get penalized for not showing up, but could get in trouble if they use someone else’s name.
Farthing would like to see more students use the service because it is
a safe way of getting around campus, especially in light of the recent
assaults.
“You can even stay in your car until you can see the van,” she said. “Just flash your lights and they will drive to your car.”
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