Campus briefs
Car drives into student house
A car drove through the property fence and onto the lawn of a student house across from campus on Sunday.
The house, located at 595 Alviso Street, sustained no damage. The fence, which was made of a metal railing melded to the top of a brick base, was partially damaged. A portion of the metal was bent and the top layer of bricks was knocked off. Tracks from the front tires of the car marked the lawn's grass.
Campus Safety initially arrived on scene. Later, members of the Santa Clara police and fire departments arrived as well.
"The police said it was a good thing the fence was there or else it would have gone straight through the house," said senior Caite Barr, who lives in the house commonly called Stucco. Located on the corner of Market and Alviso, the house sits across from Benson Memorial Center and Swig Hall.
Before the car was removed by tow truck, the body of the car straddled the fence. The car, a white Cadillac Biarritz, sustained only minor damage on its front fender.
"That should be an advertisement for the car," said a bystander.
Students walking back from the men's basketball game against St. Mary's stumbled upon the scene. Many snapped photos with cameras on their cell phones.
The driver of the car, whose name has not yet been released, was an elderly man who alledgedly lost control of the car. Witnesses say he tried to reverse the car, not realizing how badly it was stuck.
At the time of the accident, police said no charges would be filed against him.
Nobody was injured in the accident. The driver was evaluated by paramedics and driven to a family member's house by police.
"He didn't mean to do it," Barr said. "I feel awful, I think he's just embarrassed."
Additionally, senior students Rosie Rothrock, Emily Moellentine, Kate Longyear, Cait Trutanich and Jackie McNally live in the house. McNally, Longyear and Moellentine were not at the house when the accident occurred.
"I feel like I'm in a Dane Cook sketch," Barr said. "I was in the kitchen and I heard it and came out."
The exact details about the accident, such as why the driver lost control are not yet known, pending the availability of an incident report.
Zipcar launches today
After signing a contract with the company last November, two cars are already available for reservation as part of the university's involvement in the Zipcar program. Today is the official kick off for the program.
The launch will be held today from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Alameda and Santa Clara malls.
Members of Associated Students and the Office of Sustainability, as well as representatives from Zipcar, will be on hand to answer questions and offer car demonstrations.
With joining the program, Santa Clara joins the like of USC, Yale and Duke, who have all partnered with Zipcar. The Santa Clara Zipcar program will be the only one located between Stanford and UC Santa Cruz.
They are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Faculty, staff and students over 18 are eligible. They can be rented for as low as $8 an hour or $66 for the day during weekdays. On weekends, the cars can be rented for $9 an hour or $72 for the day.
There are two cars available: a Toyota Prius and a Scion xB.
The fee to join the program is $35, but includes gas, insurance, and roadside assistance. They will be parked in designated spaces in the parking lot located next to Bannan Hall, just north of the main parking structure.
The program is seen as a step forward in increasing sustainability on campus. It reduces the need for individual cars and their emissions.
Both of Santa Clara's Zipcars get over 20 miles per gallon. The Prius gets 51 miles per gallon in the city.
The cars can be reserved online.
Students will receive $35 free driving credit as part of the launch program.
The car usage will be monitored in the upcoming year. Depending upon its success, more cars may be added to the program.
From staff reports. E-mail news@thesantaclara.com.