BU escorts offer safe ride home

This is the third in a seven-part series about the people and departments who work behind the scenes to make Boston University function.

If you happen to stroll into the George Sherman Union after 8 p.m. on any given night, you are likely to see a group of students clad in white jackets watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and joking about the day’s events. To the average Boston University student, this gathering might be just another campus club.

Then the phone rings.

The Boston University Escort Security Service leaps into action, providing students with a safe ride home in one of its two vans, or a walking partner willing to take students anywhere within the two-mile long stretch of campus buildings.

Established in 1986, the Escort Service now employs 50 students and fields about 16,000 calls annually from fellow classmates looking for safe alternatives to cabs or walking alone, Student Manager Louis Apicello said.

“The nights definitely vary because obviously the middle of the week is kind of slow,” the College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate said. “It picks up a lot more on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We take anywhere from 40 to 70 calls each night, and it’s not just one student. We [often] pick up two at a time. We push well over 100 kids a night.”

One Escort Service van runs exclusively from the Hyatt after the BU Shuttle shuts down at midnight.

Apicello said he credits the high volume of student calls to increased visibility on campus.

“We started handing out escort whistles,” he said. “This is an inner-city campus, and things definitely go on here. All it takes is walking to make a world of difference.”

Apicello said the Escort Service differs from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Escort/Patrol service because BU’s is completely student-run and shuts down after 2 or 3 a.m., whereas MIT hires professional drivers who work around the clock.

“Hiring drivers would really take away from what the Escort Service is all about,” Appicello said. “I think it is sufficient as it stands. Whenever the van is filled up, we always have walkers.”

Apicello said he credits the nightly success of the Escort Service to its close relationship with the BU Police Department.

“One thing I can confidently say is that we are really proud of our job and the hand in security on campus,” he said. “We talk to BUPD and can call them at anytime. They love to help us out. They give us awareness training. It’s not as intimidating as calling the police and it’s easier to deal with peers.”

The Escort Service reports to Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore, Apicello said. The service also keeps records of the number of students who use it to make sure their numbers are sufficient.

Escort Service student supervisor Mike Johnston said the employees take their jobs seriously.

“We are a service that appeals to students, and we do the best we can to ensure their safety,” the College of Engineering senior said. “They are our customers and improving service is our overall goal.”

CAS sophomore Amy Breguet said she uses the Escort Service about twice a month because it is safer than taking a cab.

“I don’t like cabs – girls got raped in cabs,” she said. “It’s all about the white jackets, and it takes a certain caliber person to work for the escort service. The music is great and the people are great.”

CAS junior Graham Barton said he enjoys working for the service because he can interact with his peers and help them on a personal level.

“The job’s not bad,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to drive and chat and listen to the radio. It could pay better. Sometimes it’s stressful and it gets late and people [complain].”

The Escort Service also provides nightly maintenance checks on BU security services, Apicello said.

“We don’t just provide transportation,” he said. “We also provide safety checks. We’re responsible for the working order of those blue light phones. We also check the backdoors of the Comm. Ave. and South Campus Brownstones to make sure they are secure.”

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore Veronica Aragon, who has worked as an Escort Service driver for two years, said the service provides a way to get home safely for students who are genuinely scared.

“I think it’s a good service for people that really are scared,” she said. “For the other people, the ones that are drunk, it’s a safe way for them to get to where they’re going.”

Aragon said the worst part of working for the Escort Service when a student gets sick on board.

“The only thing that’s not fun is cleaning up throw up,” she said. “One time, someone threw up in the van, and we didn’t realize until 20 minutes after they got off. It didn’t smell bad, but it was pretty gross.”

Escort Service walker Martina Hill, who walks with students who want company, said she enjoys getting paid to meet new people.

“Basically we walk with people who are scared of being assaulted,” the CAS sophomore said. “We talk with them about school and what’s going on. It’s good to make conversation – it makes the walk go faster.”

Hill said she also likes the camaraderie between her and her co-workers.

“We hang out with these people all the time,” she said. “Some of us end up being roommates.”

Johnston said it is inevitable that Escort Service employees eventually take their jobs home with them.

“When I was off duty walking home, I saw a girl running barefoot in the snow,” he said. “I helped her and called the BUPD. We have a close relationship with the BUPD and we’re always looking out for everybody, even when we’re off the clock.”