Student Safe Walk Program

By Mallory Miller, Associate Reporter

Has there ever been a time you left the library at 2 a.m. and felt a bit uncomfortable walking back to your dorm alone? Santa Clara's Associated Student Government is launching a program Sept. 23, to protect students and ease their minds during their walk home late at night.

The service will be easy to use: students will just have to call the campus safety non-emergency number and request a Safe Walk student to meet you.

A couple minutes later, a student volunteer will show up and provide you with an escort to walk you home. The volunteers can meet students anywhere on campus to take them to their on or off campus housing.

"I'll be using the Safe Walk program this year especially because I live off campus. I've used the escort service in the past and felt much better about walking home. But for us girls walking to our off campus housing, it may be even more practical to have a male volunteer walk us home," said senior Katie Troxell. "There's a higher risk of two girls walking home late at night getting robbed or hurt than a guy and a girl walking together."

Making that walk home alone can be extremely risky. Students who walk in pairs are less vulnerable and harder to attack.

"Its not that I'm necessarily scared to walk back to my dorm alone," said freshman Stephanie Tu, "but I would just feel so much more comfortable having someone walk back with me!"

ASG student body President Jenna Saso said, "Last spring ASG initiated the Student Safety Escort Service. We tested the program and revamped it into the Safe Walk Program. We are really excited for the program and hope to promote Safe Walk as the option of choice for students travelling from campus to their on or off campus residences late night."

In order to get the program running, it needs as many volunteers as possible to fill the four slots of student volunteers that are needed every night.

Applications can be picked up at the front desk of the Locatelli center or email Saso at jenna.saso@gmail.com.

"The commitment is minimal," Saso said. "Two nights per month at most, and students would be doing a great service to their fellow broncos."

Contact Mallory Miller at memiller@scu.edu or call (408)554-4849.