Safe Escort Funding in Jeopardy

Unpaid bills sit in the student government office.

And an unapproved golf cart sits in the middle of the controversy.

SAFE Escort, an organization that gives students rides across campus at night, has been under scrutiny for several months because of corruption in former leaders and inefficient bookkeeping.

SAFE Escort has removed those leaders, but their effects have put SAFE Escort's funding and future in jeopardy.

Of the problems SAFE Escort faced last semester, the most controversial involved leaders who used the organization's funding to fill their personal vehicles with gas.

Assistant Student Body Treasurer Alexa Kleysteuber said SAFE Escort has several outstanding bills that have yet to be paid. Also, a new golf cart was purchased without approval, and funding will not be given to pay for it, she said.

That cart sits unused while another doesn't run, leaving SAFE Escort with one usable cart.

But now, backed by new officers, SAFE Escort has been pleading its case to the Student Safety and Security Committee of student government, which will ultimately decide its fate.

"With the new officers of our organization, we have established a far more stable group, withstanding obstacles and promoting safety on this campus," said Emily Crespo, a student driver for SAFE Escort.

But recent misunderstandings between SAFE Escort and student government about future funding have led to several heated exchanges during committee meetings.

SAFE Escort officers say they have been under the impression that their funding could be eliminated, but student government officers say they want to reallocate funding the program receives from the safety and security fee and to clarify accounting discrepancies.

SAFE Escort has been receiving funding this semester, but the committee is looking into freezing allocations or reworking the allotment of money it receives for the spring semester.

Funding for SAFE Escort comes from the safety and security fee that all University students pay. The fee is completely separate from the Student Activities Funds Office.

Seventy-six percent of the fee, which equals about $30,000, goes to SAFE Escort. The money is used to fill up the carts with gas, pay officers and drivers and maintain the carts.

But Michael Vollmer, student body treasurer, said that SAFE Escort is underutilized and that the safety and security fee is poorly allocated.

SAFE Escort President Peter Cruz has been working closely with student government to keep the organization functioning. "We have been running over 15 years, and they just basically want to cut us off completely," he said.

Kleysteuber said that some people in student government want to freeze funding but that they also are exploring other alternatives. "Either way, there will be cuts," she said.

Vollmer said, "We are just trying to make sure student fees are being used effectively and not shortchanging students in the long run."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.