Charges of gender discrimination filed against Project Saferide last year with the Office of Civil Rights are still “open and under investigation,” according to U.S. Department of Education OCR spokesman Rodger Murphey.
OCR received the complaint Jan. 31, Murphey said. Under the Privacy Act of 1972, the name of the person or persons who filed the complaint will never be released.
Saferide, a free shuttle service, is intended to provide transportation to female University students as an alternative to walking alone at night and risking sexual assault. Saferide is recognized by the ASUO and receives funding from student incidental fees.
In March, the University received a letter written by Nicholas Rock, the OCR investigator in charge of the case. The letter said a complaint alleging gender discrimination had been filed against Saferide because only women can use the service and drive vehicles.
University General Counsel Melinda Grier, who handles complaints made against the University, did not return the Emerald’s calls by press time.
Saferide was created in 1986 by a male and a female student who wanted to offer a service that would allow women to get around campus without fear of walking at night, Saferide co-director Nikki Fancher said.
The complaint was filed under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in programs and activities receiving federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education.
But there are several reasons why the service is open only to women, Fancher said.
One reason is that statistics show that the majority of sexual assault victims are women, while a majority of attackers are men, she said.
“Women are disproportionately the victims of violent crimes here on and around campus,” she said. “We’re not saying all men are rapists. But 90 percent of rapists are men.”
The women-only policy is intended to create a “safe space” for riders, many of whom use the service because they feel threatened by men when they walk, she said.
If Saferide gave rides to men, she said, women using Saferide might perceive the service as being unsafe.
When men call Saferide because they feel unsafe walking, Fancher said dispatchers refer them to the Designated Driver Shuttle or the Department of Public Safety, both of which can give rides to men and women.
Not all students who use Saferide agree that men should be barred from the service. Graduate student Manami Imaoka said she called Saferide once to get a ride for herself and a male friend, who had a broken leg. Because they were denied the service, she had to walk him home, she said.
Imaoka said she is not against the idea of Saferide, but because the program is funded with school funds, she believes it should be open to all students. If Saferide coordinators feel allowing men to use the service would compromise the safety of female riders, they should offer a similar service to men, she said.
She added that men, as well as women, need protection from sexual assault.
“Rape is not about sex, it’s about power,” she said. “I don’t think gender itself matters.”
But other students say they would not be comfortable using the service if men were allowed to drive or ride in the vans.
Senior Niki Wilkins said opening Saferide to men would go against the mission of the program.
“I think that (letting men use the service) defeats the purpose,” she said. “I mean, you don’t usually protect women from women, right?”
If investigators find that Saferide’s policy is discriminatory, OCR will work with the University to reach an agreement with the parties involved, Murphey said.