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Safety on Campus: Giddy-Up

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SMU chapter.

If you have been logging late hours at the library to keep up with the workload at (almost) mid-semester, you know how dark and lonely the campus can look when it’s time to walk home.  Have no fear, Giddy-Up’s here!
 
As a first-year student (Class of 2015!), I’ve had the importance of personal security drilled into my head for a long time.  Every college campus tour I have ever taken has featured those ever-present blue security lights as a highlight.  Also, my hometown police department taught a course on being safe on college campuses to high school senior women.  Yes, my friends and I actually spent a night practicing defensive kicks on our local police officers.  It was awesome!
 
But if you’re like me, you’d rather avoid a confrontation in the first place, and that’s where Giddy-Up comes in.  You know those golf carts you see flying around campus?  They may not be for use when you’re trying to make it from your 10am class at Dedman Hall to your 11am class at Dallas Hall in five minutes or less, but they are ready and waiting for passengers after dark. 
 
Between the hours of 9pm and 3am, Giddy-Up is a campus security dream come true.  SMU students can call 214-768-1111, and we will be provided with our very own SMU campus “cab” to take us wherever on campus our hearts desire.  For free.

 

I recently used the Giddy-Up service after a night out at Club Fondren and was surprised that only seven seconds passed between the moment I ended my call to Giddy-Up and the cart’s arrival!  I was amazed at this response time, because I tend to get impatient, and I can tell you that the drivers themselves are pretty entertaining! 
 
While riding home to my humble residence hall abode, I learned that it’s not just we girls who use the Giddy-Up service.  One of the drivers told me Giddy-Up’s passengers form a pretty even ratio of female and male students.  He said the service gets calls frequently from our guys looking for transportation between Boaz and McElvaney Halls!
 
So don’t worry about how far you’re going or where you’ve been (like a late night at a frat house).  Giddy-Up is waiting for your call.

Caroline Wright, a double major in Business Marketing and Communication Studies at Southern Methodist University, is thrilled to be part of the Her Campus Team. Although a St. Louis native, she has enjoyed becoming a true Texan in spirit over the past two years! She has been employed by a variety of companies including Kate Spade New York, NBC Universal Pictures, Brynn Bagot Public Relations, Rent the Runway, and Nordstrom. Caroline is currently Social Chair for her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta as well as serves on the Board of SMU's Student Foundation.