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UNIVERSITY
March 29,2000 • theSeahawk
Safe Ride forum gauges student response to program
by HEIDI BING
News Editor
The university affairs committee of the
Student Government Association (SGA) held
a forum last Wednesday to get student input
on the Safe Ride Program they plan to ini
tiate during the Fall 2000 semester. The Safe
Ride Program will provide free transporta
tion to UNCW students who arc traveling to
and from downtown Wilmington and
Wrightsville Beach on Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday nights. Through the program, the
SGA hopes to reduce drunk dtiving incidents
and provide transportation to students in the
event of an automobile break down.
“During the presidential candidacy last
year, both candidates had [this program] on
their platform," said SGA President Patrick
Gunn. “I've gotten a lot of feedback from
students this year.. .a lot of students wanted
to get it done. It will be a vital asset to the
campus."
The Safe Ride Program is a non-profit
organization that will be funded primarily by
the SGA. While the money will be gener
ated partially from student fees, fees will not
be increased to accommodate the program,
as the SGA has a budget of approximately
$370,000. The SGA will also accept dona
tions from local sponsors.
“We were looking for a way to cut down
on the sexual assaults and incidents of vio
lence that associated with the bar scenes in
Wilmington,” said university affairs commit
tee member Nicolette Fulton.
One of the issues audience members ad
dressed concerned the idea that the program
would be catering to students who go out to
drink.
Sam Shover, of UNCW’s CROSS
ROADS, said that while CROSSROADS is
not opposed to the program, she wondered
how the program would deal with students
who were under 21 and came back to cam
pus intoxicated and whether university po
lice officers would be waiting to issue cita
tions to these students.
“Safe Ride does not encourage underage
drinking in any way,” said university affairs
chair Jeanette Derenne. “We just want to
make sure than any student who needs a ride,
for whatever purpose, has a ride to get
home....If students try to drink under age,
we can’t control that. It’s basically a ‘ride at
your own risk’ thing.”
Junior Skipper Mervin said the commit
tee has requested that the administration have
police officers at the dorms when the bus or
car arrives so that students are discouraged
from using the shuttle when they are drunk.
Currently, the SGA is considering two
options for Safe Ride transportation, which
will operate between 10:30 p.m. and 2:30
a.m. The first would involve the use of cars
or passenger vans, driven by student volun-
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Thie SGA’s university affairs committee held a forum Wednesday nigtit in
ttie Hawk’s Nest to get student input on tlie Safe Ride Program.
teers, which would drop people off at their
doors. Derenne said that if cars are used,
there will be a female and a male in the car
at all times so that no one riding feels un
comfortable. The second option would use
a bus route, which would stop at designated
destinations and be driven by a professional.
Students will need to sign a waiver in or
der to use the Safe Ride Program. The SGA
is planning on setting up tables on campus
next semester where students can sign a
waiver and receive an emblem to put on their
UNSea card which they will show to the Safe
Ride driver
Derenne said the SGA hopes to promote
the program as a fund-raising effort on cam
pus.
“If [an organization on campus] wants to
drive for us, or work in our office, then we
would pay them in return,” Derenne said.
The SGA will be renting vehicles for the
program.
“Its much more cost effective to use rental
cars,” Mervin said. “We’ve talked to Enter
prise and we’ve [been quoted] a deal that
would include gas and liability insurance for
the drivers at less than $50 per car, per night.”
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