Women’s Giving Circle and UAPD Celebrate Addition to Campus Safety Program

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Chancellor G. David Gearhart(l) and Women’s Giving Circle President Melissa Werner(r) present a $22,000 check to UAPD Corp. Brett Waddell for the Razorback Patrol Golf Cart Escort program

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Women’s Giving Circle at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Police Department dedicated the addition of a six-person golf cart for the Razorback Patrol Golf Cart Escort program.

A $22,000 grant made in 2013 from the circle funded the purchase of the golf cart and offset additional costs associated with the Razorback Patrol program.

Razorback Patrol, part of UAPD, is comprised of work-study cadets who, in cooperation with the department, use golf carts to transport students in the evening so they do not have to walk alone. Students, particularly women, use Razorback Patrol as a means of transportation to help them feel safe and reduce the risk of various types of assault and harassment. Other courtesies offered by the Razorback Patrol include parking lot checks, building checks, e-phone checks, light pole checks and surveillance duties.

During the 2012-2013 school year, Razorback Patrol cadets escorted 7,058 students, performed 4,303 security checks, 771 light checks, 440 e-phone checks and conducted a total of 5,200 surveillance minutes. More than 90 percent of these escorts were for women on campus. “The new cart will immediately decrease the response time to escorts,” said Corp. Brett Waddell of UAPD, who wrote the grant proposal. “With an average of 800 escorts each month, taking into account that some are frequent users of the service, it will impact an estimated 500 people each month.”

The donation will also fund promotional items and marketing to raise awareness about the program across campus.

“Once the new promotional materials start to take effect, I believe the enhancement of this program has the potential to impact an additional 150 to 200 women each month,” Waddell said.

The dedication of the cart on July 24 featured Waddell and Melissa Werner, president of the Women’s Giving Circle. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held following their remarks, and Women’s Giving Circle members were given the opportunity to take the inaugural ride.

 “This program was particularly appealing to our members because of its impact on the female population of our campus,” said Werner, speaking on behalf of the circle. “We could see the direct benefit to campus safety and were impressed with their ideas for creating more awareness about the program. It is our goal to continue to support innovative programs like this on our campus and engage more women in philanthropy in the process.”

The Women’s Giving Circle was created in 2002 by the founding members of the Women and Philanthropy Committee of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. Its members include alumnae and friends who recognize that women as donors have the capability of making a tremendous impact on the University of Arkansas, its students, faculty and staff.

Each summer, the Women’s Giving Circle announces a call for grant proposals, and funding from the circle is distributed to the grant recipients, like the UAPD, through an annual voting event in the fall. To date, the circle has awarded over $750,000 to the campus community. For more information about becoming a member of the Women’s Giving Circle, contact Karen Stair at (479) 575-2381 or wgc@uark.edu.