Elimination of Cabs On Campus is risky

By The opinion of The Santa Clara

Many university campuses have safety programs set up to protect their students from drunk driving or unsafe situations. However, at Santa Clara University, the one program that was designed to keep students safe, Cabs On Campus, has been eliminated.

Created by Santa Clarans Against Drunk Driving (SCADD), Cabs On Campus has been a huge success in only four months of operation.

To challenge the elimination of this program is one thing, but we are merely challenging the lack of safety programs the school offers. We find ourselves asking, what kind of precautions are being made to ensure the safety of Santa Clara students and why is there such a lack thereof?

Other universities have had problems with drunk driving or are located in places where it is unsafe to travel around by foot at night. Many of them have solved this problem with shuttle services. Gonzaga University, University of Nevada at Reno, University of Southern California and many more all have shuttle services for their students.

Granted, Santa Clara is not a large campus, but it is still crucial that we have some kind of means for safety for our students. When Cabs On Campus was created, its popularity skyrocketed. Even though some individuals were using the cabs for purposes not intended by the program, the majority of students found that it gave them a safe ride home when they otherwise might have driven drunk.

Students did abuse the system, but not to the extent that the program would lose its funding and support from the University. Overcharging and using the program unnecessarily is the fault of a small number of students and should not result in the punishment of the rest of the program's users.

The misuse is also in part due to a lack of a convenient and protective campus escort service for students who don't feel safe walking around campus late at night. Public Safety provides rides for students going from on-campus locations to other on-campus locations, but nothing for students who are wanting safe transportation from a party or bar off-campus.

But the misuse of Cabs On Campus should not be an issue. If only 50 percent of the rides saved students from drunk driving, it has been worth it. And maybe opening The Bronco was supposed to make everyone stay on-campus, but students like to get off campus every now and then and having a safe means to do so should be partly the university's responsibility.

Not only was Cabs On Campus being used to prevent drunk driving, but it was also providing a necessary mode of transportation for students who were off-campus to return safely home. What is it going to take to realize the importance of this service? Will a drunk driving accident or death be reason enough to re-implement the program?

It shouldn't have to come to this. The program was a success and its founder, senior Melanie Lundin, has devoted countless hours to ensuring the safety of her fellow students. SCADD may not have been what the University was looking for to solve the problem, but it's a temporary solution and one that is protecting students.

With the increased presence and practices of the Santa Clara Police Department, students know that even walking to local bars and off-campus houses can result in an arrest. Now without the safety of a cab ride, drinking while under the influence might become the popular option for students who are afraid of walking.