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FEATURE
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want to give up their nights. Most of the current drivers have day jobs and are looking for extra work. That or they like working nights, like Sam, who is a self-proclaimed night owl. He drives most nights of the week.
Sam says he's seen some pretty crazy things on the job. Students so drunk they can barely stand. Interesting outfits. Girls in skimpy clothing and heels when it's snowing outside. Crying. Yelling. People rolling off the seats on
the bus. PDA on the bus. People trying to bring odd things such as plywood or signs on the bus. Sam says men are harder to deal with on the bus, while women tend to be more difficult in the cars. On buses men sometimes tend to get aggravated and start fights. But in the privacy of the cars, women tend to be more emotional and angry.
Sam only intervenes if riders are breaking the rules. Students can't smoke, drink or fight on the bus or in the car. And PDA has to be kept PG-rated. Sam says he doesn't want to act like a parent.
But driving drunk college students is like being a parent. Sam says you have to treat them like they are 4-year-olds. He's had people throw tantrums over the phone and on the bus countless times. He has to remind them of the rules and talk slowly so they listen, and he has to clean up after them too.
"It completely boggles my mind how alcohol can turn completely normal people into animals," Sam says.
Animals who heckle drivers, yelling and swearing. SafeRide cars no longer drive down Massachusetts Street or near the corner of 14th and Ohio streets because too many people approach the cars. Drivers used to have people hit their car while walking by, walk in front of the moving vehicle, throw drinks on the car or at the driver, and even throw rocks. These areas are now the main routes of SafeBus, making it easier on drivers and the cars.
Driving for SafeRide isn't all about
transporting drunk college students. During the week a lot of students use SafeRide to get to and from campus at night. Aaron says the callers from campus are often the nicest. They are pleasant, on time and they don't try to lie to you. Many international students without cars also use SafeRide to get home. A handful use the service on a regular basis. One particular student calls SafeRide to come home after a late shift at his job almost every weekend.
Derek Meier, KU on Wheels supervisor, says many Big XII universities look to KU's SafeRide program as a model for their own programs. KU's program is ahead of the curve, using a professional service and paid drivers. Most other universities are run on a volunteer basis, making it hard to accommodate a high demand. Oklahoma State University recently approached Meier for advice on how to build and promote its program. Other schools are usually impressed by the SafeRide's driving efficiency, high ridership and how it is integrated into the school transit service.
Though SafeRide is a model for other universities, the program still has its faults. Meier is always looking for feedback from students so the program can expand and improve. The money paying for the program comes from the students, so they should have the ultimate say in how the program works.
"We just run the show," Sam says. "Ultimately it's about what KU students want." JP
Editor's note: Aaron requested that his last name be withheld due to harassment he received about his involvement with SafeRide following a previous news article.
NOTICE
wescoe wit
lol.
PROFESSOR:
Entertaining? Oh! I thought you said Dick Cheney!
**GUY:** (as he sips drink) Oh! This is better than sex at my house
GUY: (talking about a slideshow in lecture) I can't remember it. It's like, my eyes were watching it, but like, my brain was asleep.
**GIRL:** (mumbing to herself) Story of my life.
GIRL: Where are all the hotties, man? KU sucks!
PROFESSOR:
This is where it gets sexual and I know you guys like that so you'll pay attention.
GIRL 2 : Well, I've been inside, but I've never gone.
**GUY:** I love seeing people on campus I saw wested last night.
**GIRL 1** : You've never been to Abe and Jake's?!
// VALERIE SKUBA
tomorrow's news // LAMEBOOK
just call us Cleo.
Facebook allows us to micromanage our popularity with social events, private messages and friend requests, but sometimes the updates and posts can be downright hilarious. Cue lamebook.com, a website created to bring together the "funniest and lameest of Facebook." Started in April by two graphic designers from Austin, Texas, the site has stuck to its proclamation of posting "lame and funny pictures, status updates and other gems."
The blog site is updated six times daily, and is entirely user-contributed. To make a submission, readers send their name and e-mail address, along with a screen shot of the lame status or picture. All submissions
protect the privacy of the subjects by blurring out their last name. Submissions are divided into categories such as "WTFights," "Douchebags/Douchebaguettes" and "TypOHs!"
Although some may find the content on this website offensive, the creators say that it isn't really meant to hurt anyone's feelings. Rather, the site aims to remind people of the dangers of inappropriate posts and of the importance, in turn, of internet etiquette.
So next time you want to shout your status to the Facebook world, you may want to keep it to yourself and avoid being categorized in the "TMI" section of Lamebook.
// KELCI SHIPLEY
Contributed photo
The best from the book Lamebook.com hosts funny, weird and gloriously awful Facebook postings. content is all user-generated and is separated into categories such as "WTFights," "Douchebags/Douchebguettes" and "TypOHS!"