Ed Board is extremely proud of the new dedication and attentionto student convenience being paid by the SMU Police Department. TheGiddy-Up program is an extraordinarily thoughtful convenience forstudents.
Unfortunately, Ed Board has noticed the program decreases inusefulness around 11 p.m. Several students have reported attemptsto try to flag one down, only to be informed by the shuttles’operators that they “aren’t operating now.” Andthat’s not convenient at all.
However, it must be convenient for someone. Perhaps for officersseeking to find a practical means of getting between parking lotsto write tickets? This does happen — officers can be seen inthe morning checking the parking lots for violators.
Apparently those big Ford police cruisers must be too much of ahassle, what with the opening the door and getting out. Nothingoffers convenience quite like a golf cart.
Really, the police department had a wonderful idea to providestudents with a safe means of getting from one end of campus to theother late at night. The department implemented the idea, and nowthey are holding themselves to it.
But, at least occasionally, they are also exploiting it fortheir own purposes. That would seem to be all right. When writingtickets in the morning, the Giddy-Up program is not in service, soit doesn’t actually affect students.
However, at night, when students can’t get a ride becausethe police are heading over to bust a fraternity house, the programceases to serve its intended purpose.
The problem is this: the police department is allowing its ownneeds to infringe upon a system designed for use by the students. Aprogram to make this campus safer that won’t give a student aride at 11 p.m. doesn’t accomplish its goal.
Ed Board realizes this may not (hopefully) be a regularoccurrence, but it shouldn’t happen at all. Giddy-Up is inoperation from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. The one time they don’t picksomeone up might be the one time someone is hurt.
SMU PD should make a conscious effort to confine the Giddy-Upprogram to its original purpose and continue to serve and protectthe students of this university.
