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Walking the
walk:
Trent’s Walk Home program offers peace of mind
For
11 years Trent University has offered a Walk Home program for anyone on
campus who does not want to walk alone at night. This has been a highly
successful program, and a recent survey conducted about the program indicates
significant useage and satisfaction with the level of security offered
by program volunteers.
"The program began after a safety audit was done in 1991," explains Walk Home Co-ordinator Suzanne Hughes. "Any member of the Trent community can call us and have escorts walk with them, both on main campus and downtown."
A team of two volunteers is based downtown and on main campus each evening, from 5:30 p.m. - 1 a.m. on winter weeknights. Non-winter program hours run from 7 p.m. - 1 a.m., and from 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 p.m. - midnight on Sundays.
Approximately 170 students are involved as volunteers, working one shift per month, and there are 16 dispatchers who oversee scheduling and maintain contact with groups of volunteers.
Ms. Hughes looks after all of the primary scheduling for Walk Home shifts, which is a major task. A large wipe-off board in her office (located next to the Champlain College Lecture Hall) is full of time slots and volunteer names for the month.
"I’ve
been with the program for five years," says Ms. Hughes, who loves
working with Trent students. She searches for new volunteers at the beginnning
of each school year, through the use of posters, clubs and groups day
and word of mouth. As well, the Walk Home program is operational during
Intro Week, which helps raise awareness among first-year students.
A Walk Home survey is distributed each year to the Trent student community, and this year was offered electronically through e-mails that were sent from all college offices. As a result of the online option, approximately 450 surveys were completed this year, which is a significant number in relation to the size of the Trent student group.
"We ask some basic things, like demographic information, transportation information, if they’ve ever been in a threatening situation and what services they’ve used," explains Ms. Hughes. "We also want to know what they think about the availability of the Walk Home program and the visibility of security on campus."
The results are glowing. Students are very pleased with the program.
"It’s positive feedback," smiles Ms. Hughes, adding that in this past year Walk Home volunteers have started assisting with building lock-ups and the reporting of any minor things that need to be fixed. Light bulbs outside or in interior hallways that need to be replaced are noted, as well as things like jammed windows or icy patches that need to be salted.
If you are a student and you would like to volunteer with the Walk Home program, Ms. Hughes would love to hear from you. Simply call 742-FOOT (3668). Likewise, if you would like to be escorted somewhere at night, call the same number and someone will take your call.
Photo 1: Suzanne Hughes is the co-ordinator of the Trent Walk Home program.
Photo 2: Sixteen Walk Home dispatchers are responsible for the program schedule, contacting all student volunteers and ensuring shifts are covered.
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