Since kindergarten, we were told to be safe and look both ways before crossing the street. U of I goes one step further, with SafeWalks, a program started on campus in order to prevent assaults occurring, especially late at night. SafeWalks was designed for the most part, for girls who are walking alone either back from the bars or the library. However, anyone is able to use SafeWalks to ensure a safe walk home.

SafeWalks works like this: people who are going to be walking home alone call a number, and say where they are and where they are going. Then an officer or officers come to pick that person up to walk them home.

The patrol officers of this program proudly wear bullet-proof vests and carry flashlights that look like the kind that are used to hit someone on the head. They walk around the quad, patrolling, and waiting for some drunk girl to call for a walk home.

SafeWalks is a very helpful tool for campus to have, since it is unsafe for people to walk home late at night alone. Unfortunately, it is necessary to have such a tool at U of I. Because of the number of attacks that occur on campus, SafeWalks is a great resource for students.

Another option for people that don’t want to walk because of the cold, the rain, or the just plain laziness they feel, is SafeRides. This company works in much the same way as SafeWalks but instead of people walking you home, a bus drives you home. Talk about service!

Both of these programs are designed to keep students safe. Use them, and prevent bad things from happening to you and your friends!

SafeWalks:(217) 333-1216

SafeRides:(217) 265-RIDE