Escort changes service

The University has eliminated door-to-door Escort service for students in many areas of campus as part of a new transport system that went into effect this month. Under the new system, Escort vans will only pick up or drop off students at nine on-campus locations which are designated Transit Stops. Students at other locations on campus must call for a Walking Escort to the designated pick-ups. Transportation and Mail Services Director Robert Furniss said the University changed the system because of an overload of requests for Escort door-to-door service. Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel also said that more people walking around on campus may decrease the number of crimes. "The whole idea is that with the evolution of Escort, more people were using vehicles on campus and the foot traffic had diminished," Cassel said. "We want to increase that foot traffic, because higher numbers of people will make for more activity and create a safer atmosphere," she said. Cassel added that with a number of walking escorts carrying police radios, the level of activity within the boundaries of the campus will increase, which should work against crime. In addition, Furniss said, graduate students complained that undergraduates on campus under the previous service were getting door to door service while the graduate students living in Center City only had one-way transportation. The new system has three van routes with three vans running on each. Since each route takes 45 minutes, Furniss said, students should not wait more than 15 minutes for vans on the route. According to a newly-published brochure delineating the new service, the new transit stops are "highly visible, well lit, equipped withe emergency and/or campus telephones, and staffed with security personnel." Cassel said the transit stops will contribute to both the efficiency and safety of transportation service. "An individual should not feel anxious about waiting for a vehicle," Cassel said. "The idea is that these transit stops are all public buildings which are heavily trafficked," she said, and cited the mini police station at 3401 Walnut's transit stop as an example of security presence. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said he approves of increasing pedestrian movement on campus at night, and said that much crime results from solitary movement on campus. "There's no guarantee that something still won't occur," he admitted, adding that the new emphasis on walking escort is more expensive to maintain, due to the greater number of staff needed. According to Furniss, the walking escort service is available by dialing 898-WALK. He said no more than 20 students a week utilized the service last year. The new Penn Transit Systems will also provide a shopping shuttle and Handivan service for disabled students. Emeritus Biochemistry Professor Adelaide Delluva, who is chairperson of the faculty, staff and student Safety and Security Committee, said she approves of the new system. "All of these adjustments make the service more accessible, easier to use, and increase security," Delluva said. "We think that walking escort is important because it compliments the use of the riding escort. The riding escort cannot possibly satisfy all of the requirements of every student." Cassel said the University still needs student input and suggestions on Escort service. "There's going to be some snafus, so the community as well as the transportation department is amenable to any recommendations or suggestions students may have about how it's working, and how to improve it, because that's the whole idea," she said. Furniss said the changes came about after a study conducted by a team comprised of University staff, one undergraduate and one graduate student. The group was designed to study specific aspects of the University's Escort service and devise a more efficient plan. This group will issue a report in September or October which will include evaluations and statistics of the new system. Previous statistics, Furniss said, indicated the need to further develop the University's escort services. In the 1985-86 school year, Escort carried 13,600 people. In the 1991-92 school year, the system provided service for 194,000 passengers. Furniss said this tremendous increase probably resulted from a heightened awareness of the high crime rate around the University. He added, however, that while safety awareness is always positive, Escort found itself increasingly unable to handle the number of calls. Staff writer Heidi Gleit contributed to this story.