NEWS
SAFE Walk’s fate in limbo
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by Andriy Pazuniak
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The Student Services Financial Committee left their meeting Monday still considering a motion that would cut the SAFE walk program completely from the SAFE Nighttime Service's proposed budget.
Postponing the final decision on a motion to zero-fund the $60,000 SAFE walk program until Thursday, SSFC representatives ended their budget decision meeting still divided over an issue that would potentially have major consequences on the University of Wisconsin campus.
Many SSFC representatives concluded the SAFE walk program was "unnecessary."
"There's no need for a walk service," SSFC Vice-Chair Eric Saar said, after he introduced the motion to zero-fund SAFE walk — one of the three services SAFE provides to help protect UW students who walk around campus at night, along with the SAFE bus and cab ride programs. "You have friends, a cab and the bus, which are much more effective."
Representatives from SAFE claimed the SSFC does not fully understand the consequences cutting the program would have.
"[SSFC Representatives] don't know what the [results] will be," SAFE Nighttime Services Coordinator Jacob Hahn said leaving the meeting, suggesting the other outfits providing SAFE transportation services might not be interested in continuing their services if SAFE walk did not exist. "This is not to say other transportation services will even be interested in contributing money to the SAFE ride program solely, which could effectively end the SAFE Nighttime Services."
The debate over SAFE walk centered on whether the cost of the services provided to students equal the benefits.
SSFC representatives cited statistics from the SAFE budget proposal showing only 0.2 percent of the total users of the SAFE program use SAFE walk, which amounts to an average cost of $53 per walk.
"It's an easy decision," SSFC Representative Tim Schulz said. "Look at the numbers and think about this. It's not worth over fifty dollars a trip of our money."
Hahn, however, countered that the SAFE program needs all three of its aspects working together to function properly.
"Success of the service depends on the success of all three," Hahn said. "To be economically efficient, you need all three working together to provide everyone with most protective services possible."
Hahn continued to explain that cutting SAFE walk would not save UW students money, but would rather make the services more expensive.
"SAFE walk is a cost-control method for SAFE ride," Hahn told the committee. "Without SAFE walk program in place, everybody who got SAFE walk and other people who think, 'now I can get SAFE ride,' it will explode the SAFE ride budget exponentially."
Although not able to reach a decision Monday, the consequences of the ruling SSFC representatives will make Thursday is sure to be felt throughout the UW campus.
"This will be one of most important decisions we make this year," SSFC Representative Adam Schlicht said before the committee tabled the motion.
