University shuttle service Project Saferide will remain open to women only, but in order to comply with a settlement reached with the federal Office for Civil Rights, Saferide directors are devising a similar transportation service available to men and women.
The new service, Night Ride, may begin running as early as this summer, Saferide co-director Nikki Fancher said.
Fancher, who is directing the program with Saferide co-director Morgen Smith until Night Ride directors can be hired, is coordinating the program with help from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Alliance.
Night Ride coordinators hope the service will benefit groups of students who may feel unsafe on campus but who are either uncomfortable using Saferide or are not allowed to use the service, such as gay men, men of color and transgender individuals.
“It’s unfortunate that it took a ruling by OCR to force Saferide and people who support Saferide to start Night Ride,” she said. “But we believe what we’ve created in Night Ride is a very beneficial service.”
Night Ride, which will offer rides to groups of three or less by reservation, will operate in much the same way as Saferide, Fancher said. The Department of Public Safety has donated one van to the program; a second, wheelchair accessible van will be shared with Saferide, she said.
The concept for Night Ride developed during meetings with students and administrators held throughout fall term in response to an OCR investigation of a gender discrimination complaint filed against the University, she said.
Filed by an anonymous University student last year, the complaint alleged that the University violated Title IX of the Education Acts of 1972 because Saferide prohibits men from riding in or driving shuttle vans. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal funds. Saferide, an ASUO recognized program funded by student incidental fees, falls under Title IX guidelines because the University receives federal funds.
In a settlement reached with the OCR on Oct. 26, the University agreed to submit a proposal to modify University transportation services to comply with Title IX by March 29.
University General Counsel Melinda Grier has advised Saferide student directors that an equivalent service such as Night Ride is likely to satisfy the terms of the OCR settlement, Fancher said.
OCR officials are scheduled to review the program in March.
“I am reasonably sure that if we had simply said, OK, from now on, Saferide is open to males and females, that would have settled it,” said University Human Rights Investigator Sid Moore, who met with Grier and Saferide directors. “We would rather not do that because it would make a significant portion of the female (students) uncomfortable (using the service).”
Based on information she received from Saferide volunteers and riders, Fancher said she believes many women who use the service would not feel comfortable continuing to use Saferide if it was open to men.
Incorporating Night Ride into Saferide would be difficult for practical reasons as well, she added, in part because Saferide is already a large program. Saferide gives an average of 70 to 80 rides per night, and operates three to four vans nightly, she said.
Although Night Ride has been recognized by the ASUO Executive as an official University program, it has yet to receive funding from the ASUO Programs Finance Committee. On Jan. 24, Night Ride directors will go before the PFC to ask for about $25,000 to fund the program, Fancher said. That amount is less than half the Saferide budget, she said.
On Wednesday night, the ASUO Student Senate approved a special request from Night Ride for $300 of surplus money to pay for program start-up costs.
Peter Watts, one of six senators who voted against the motion, said he questioned funding Night Ride because a nearly identical program, Saferide, already exists. Incorporating the program into Saferide would save student fee money without compromising the safety of female riders, he said.
“I think it would be highly unlikely that sexual predators would use the Saferide system because they have to provide Saferide with their home address and other personal information,” he said.