by Natalie DeFord, News Writer
Students calling the Campus Safety office on Halloween night were out of luck. Campus Safety had a staffing error which left many students without a ride that night, forcing them to walk around Parkland.
The Campus Safety office receives calls all year from students looking for rides. Halloween weekend was projected to have more party-going Lutes than most weekends, which means more calls for escorts back to campus.
Wild rumors about Campus Safety have been flying around campus. Students have been wondering if rides are not being given to students because they are partying and drinking.
However, this is not the case. Campus Safety escorts were temporarily unavailable during some of the usual hours of operation on Halloween night, but this is a single occurrence, according to Campus Safety.
When a 21-year-old student, quoted in this article under the pseudonym “Alex”, was out partying and bar-hopping with friends, the group had no ride home. So, of course, they called Campus Safety for an escort. They needed to find a safe way home after having too much Halloween fun.
Alex’s friend made the call, but Alex said Campus Safety told her friend they should try calling a cab instead.
“Originally, I was upset because Halloween is one of the biggest party weekends on college campuses,” Alex said.
Later, Alex was informed that the lack of escorts was due to a staffing error.
Campus Safety assured Alex that this error is not going to affect their regular operations or escort service.
“I feel that Campus Safety should have been better prepared with all of their staff knowing what to expect during such a crazy weekend,” Alex said.
Alex was not the only student that was left high and not so “dry” during the rainy weekend. A group of girls were out partying that same night and called Campus Safety for a ride. They received the same response.
“I felt abandoned in my time of need,” said a 22-year-old PLU student, who will also remain anonymous. “The safety officers for campus were not doing their job due to understaffing.”
No comments from Campus Safety have been issued to any members of Mast Media at this point. There is no cause for student concern that this issue will happen again.
Editor’s Note: The students in this article chose to remain anonymous due to fear of a backlash from speaking out about their partying habits and Campus Safety. This was co-written with Samantha Lund.
