Van Call policies must be reviewed

With a recent rash of sexual assaults, outcry about student safety has reached a critical… With a recent rash of sexual assaults, outcry about student safety has reached a critical pitch. In light of these concerns, Van Call, Pitt’s escort service, has once again become the focus of criticism.

A serious concern is Van Call’s reliability. Most students have either experienced or heard stories about its inconsistency. Sometimes a caller will immediately reach a dispatcher. Other times, students call repeatedly without reaching one at all.

A related concern is with Van Call’s boundaries and dispatchers’ inconsistent application of its policies with regard to those boundaries. According to its Web site, www.pts.pitt.edu/transportation/routes/vansum.htm, Van Call’s boundaries include Baum Boulevard to the north, Morewood Avenue to the east, Robinson/Craft Avenue to the west and Second Avenue/Biotech to the south.

But these boundaries do not create straight lines for students to memorize and deduce if a location is within bounds. For example, there are several streets not serviced by Van Call, but closer to campus than Second Avenue. Additionally, some students report having been picked up in locations clearly not within the boundaries, such as on the South Side.

These inconsistencies make it difficult for students to ensure their safety. Students regularly venture around Oakland. Some plan on Van Call’s ability to take them home. If they can’t reach an operator or do manage to reach one only to be told they’re outside the boundaries, they may be left with only a few dangerous options.

Several steps must be undertaken to expand Van Call’s viability as a safe alternative. First, the transportation department must review its policies to ensure that it’s properly servicing students. Inconsistencies prevent students from properly planning; Van Call must be easily accessible and policies must be equally applied.

Additionally, students are encouraged to explore the city. “The city is our campus,” we are repeatedly told. Certainly this should be true – Pittsburgh is composed of cultural and residential areas that students inhabit. Yet, Van Call’s current boundaries limit the applicability of this statement. It’s hard to believe that Van Call’s boundaries can’t be expanded to connect areas of high student concentrations.

The University must undertake steps to further student safety. When Van Call cannot pick up a student, information about how he or she can get home should be made available. Perhaps a new University service should be created to disperse information about how to get a cab or where to catch a PAT bus. Wallet-sized cards should also be produced with Van Call’s boundaries and phone number, so that students can carry this information with them at all times.