Students wary about walking across campus at night don't have to go alone because of Ohio University's SAFE-T Patrol Team, now in its second year of service this fall.
OU has offered campus escort services in the past, but the SAFE-T Patrol Team - which stands for Safe arrival for everyone tonight - was introduced last fall in a restructured form, escorting students from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. every night, said Joni McCune, business manager in the campus safety department.
During the first five weeks of Fall Quarter 2004, 65 students used the service. In the first five weeks of this Fall Quarter, SAFE-T Patrol's 19 members have escorted 92 students, McCune said.
Participation is up as far as people using the service
she said, adding that it still is not used to its full advantage.
Students can schedule a regular escort for nights when they have class or work late at night, said junior Melissa Walther, a team member for three quarters.
Amanda Cherwonka, a junior who works late at the Oasis, uses the service every Monday and Tuesday.
It's a great service that I think people should know about and use Cherwonka said.
According to a SAFE-T Patrol pamphlet, students who do not prearrange an escort can call the team and meet them at a designated location. Students can also stop a team on patrol and ask for an escort, McCune said.
Team members also roam campus during their shifts and offer assistance to people who might need help getting home, acting as an extra pair of eyes on campus, said sophomore Marcy Schiefer, a team member for two quarters.
Teams try to cover every area of campus, including East Green and the Front Four among other target areas for the service besides main campus, Walther said.
The teams are busiest at the beginning of the quarters and on special weekends, such as game nights, Halloween weekend, Palmerfest and Moms' Weekend, Schiefer and Walther said while walking across campus during a SAFE-T Patrol shift on Oct. 6.
Just our presence discourages people from doing stupid things Walther said.
Some people refuse help from the team because they are afraid of getting in trouble or because they confuse team members with Security Aides, who focus on disciplinary tactics as well as safety, Walther said.
We're out there and we're not to be feared
she said. We're the good guys.
While team members are qualified to write parking tickets, they are not trained to act as police officers, and are to walk away if a student becomes violent and call in a description to the OU Police Department, Schiefer said.
Our main concern is just getting people to and from places safely
she said.
Schiefer said she applied for the team because she always stays up late at night and needed a job, but Walther said other team members are interested in a career in criminology or police work.
SAFE-T Patrol is part of the Program to Aid Career Exploration, an internship-like work program at OU. Student employees start at six dollars an hour and receive a 25 cent raise each quarter, McCune said.
People tend to take their safety for granted, and people should be aware that the service is an option, she said.
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Bethany Furkin
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Safe-T Patrol employees Melissa Walther, Bernard Ayanga and Marcy Schiefer (left to right) prepare to depart Scott Quad for their 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift. Ohio University students can call the Safe-T patrol whenever they need an escort anywhere on campus
