SAFE coordinator offers insight into program

After working for SAFEwalk during his time as an under- graduate, Jacob Hahn returned to campus to serve as the coordinator of Safe Arrival For Everyone (SAFE) Nighttime Services.

The SAFE programs consist of the SAFEwalk escort program, the SAFEride cab service and the SAFEride bus late-night service. Hahn recently sat down with John Lucas of Wisconsin Week to discuss the program and the state of campus safety. An edited transcript of the conversation follows:

Wisconsin Week: How is the semester working out? Are you seeing more use of the services? Also, how did you end up in this position?

Hahn: We’ve been counting walks and rides since the beginning of the fiscal year and have seen surprisingly steady numbers in the ride program, going up or down a few percentage points each month. But the use of the SAFEwalk program has gone way up. When I did the end-of-the-month report last year for October, we had given over 200 SAFEwalks. This year (since the beginning of July), we’re at 800 walks. We’ve seen a lot more business and a lot more enthusiasm for the program, which is cool.

When I was a student here, I was a SAFEwalker and SAFEwalk/SAFEride dispatcher. The previous coordinator, Jane Goemans, passed away in July of 2005, and they were looking for someone to start as the SAFE coordinator and run the three services. I had some knowledge of how the program ran, and I thought that it sounded like a fun, interesting job. I started in July 2005 and have been here a little over a year now.

WW: Going back to the volume increase, why do you think that the number of walks are up this year?

Hahn: I think the success of the walk program is really tied to our involvement in the SOAR program. We give presentations to every single group of parents and students who come through. This year, we worked hard at giving a cohesive and strong message about how we run, how we work and who we are.

One of the most important things is letting them know that the SAFEwalkers are regular students trained, and that they aren’t out to tell on anyone. Although SAFEwalkers receive training from the UWPD and other campus organizations and departments, our main goal is to provide safe ways home, no questions asked.

There have been a couple instances we’ve gotten calls for walks from people who are extremely inebriated, incoherent and can’t stand up. In that case, we call the police and let them evaluate the person. But if it’s someone returning from a house party or something, we don’t make any sort of judgment.

It’s hard to say why the rides haven’t gone up because that, traditionally, has been the really popular program. We always make sure to tell people who use the ride program that it’s a service that costs a lot of money — providing individual cabs — and to be sure to use it only in the most dire of circumstances: when you don’t have any money, or friends to walk home with or pick you up, when you’re in a situation you don’t have another way out of.

It could be that people are starting to take more seriously that it is a safety service and not a free cab ride around town. As far as the rise in popularity of the SAFEwalk program, in addition to sending out more coherent messages about what we do and who we are, we also updated our image with new signs and clothes. I think image matters, and people respond to that too.

WW: So visibility is up, your presence at SOAR is up and, hopefully, people have also gotten the message that they need to watch out for each other as they walk around at night.

Hahn: Safety is an interesting subject in that most people don’t generally tend to think about it unless something is in their face. “This assault happened, or this attack happened, so be on guard.”

When it’s fresh in people’s minds, they tend to do something about it and are proactive. But it fades pretty fast. I think about the Audrey Seiler case a few years ago. For the week that she was missing, we [had] four teams across campus each night — all four teams were walking all night long, 25-30 walks per night. The minute Audrey was found, the numbers dropped back off, because people thought there wasn’t a real threat. But something like that could very well have happened. I hope that people take a lesson from something like that and also remember that lesson.

WW: How many walks do you do on an average night per semester?

Hahn: Typically, 10-11 walks per night. This time last year, it was five to six. The fall semester is generally busier than the spring. We give a lot of walks to people who are new freshmen, new to town and may not even feel unsafe, but just unsure of directions.

WW: Do you have a general feeling on how safe it is being out downtown at night?

Hahn: I haven’t heard too much from walkers about feeling unsafe. By and large the environment hasn’t really changed too much. I like to say, taking the assaults and robberies into account, that Madison is a fairly safe place, but it’s only as safe as you make it. If you plan ahead, employ common safety practices, make use of services such as SAFE and listen to what your gut is telling you, you will increase your chances of getting where you need to go safely.

On any given night, Library Mall can have a completely different feel from the night previous. Just because you have felt comfortable in a place before doesn’t necessarily mean that you will tonight. Listen to what your gut is telling you.

WW: What do you enjoy about the job, both as a student and doing it now?

Hahn: When I was a student, I believed in the mission of the program, and it was nice to have a student job where I felt like I was helping the mission of the campus and helping fellow students and faculty and staff.

When I started (as coordinator), it was a really good challenge for me personally and professionally to be in charge of these three programs and to look at what was working and what wasn’t working. I found that a lot of it is team-building, teaching, staff motivation and understanding, and also remembering what I had previously learned about running effective training sessions and developing on an organizational level.

Looking back, it was an awesome experience and a very interesting one.

WW: What should people know about SAFE that’s frequently overlooked?

Hahn: People think it’s a lot harder to use than it actually is. We have four teams out every night (for SAFEwalk), and we can get you to where you are in five-10 minutes. People think it’s more complicated than that.

Also, faculty and staff don’t realize that they can use it. All three programs are open to all students, faculty and staff, though faculty and staff only account for 5 percent of the SAFEride cab and walk trips. We always offer that if somebody has a late class, they can schedule ahead and we can be waiting for them. All you have to do is schedule it once and we’ll be there for the rest of the semester. A lot of students take advantage of it.

But professors and staff don’t realize that if you’re working in your office late or teach a late class, we can give you an escort to your parking lot or walk you to your bus stop. We’re here for everybody. A lot of faculty and staff either don’t realize it, or just don’t think about it.