UPDATE (1/14/23):

When I created this petition in December 2021, it worked. Although it was never acknowledged by the University, when we as a student body returned for the Spring semester, the proposed policy never went into effect. I can only assume that this is because of the overwhelming support shown by those who signed it, and for that I thank each and every one of you. I am incredibly disappointed (but sadly not surprised) that the University has chosen to enact this policy a year later. BUT, I believe we have the power to reverse it. Please continue sharing and signing! Together we can change this!

The policy that was enacted is slightly different than the one described below. The University will allow for groups of 2 to travel together, which eliminates some of the concerns outlined below regarding the use of the buddy system, but it still presents these concerns for those traveling in groups larger than 2, especially odd numbers (where one person will likely have to ride alone). In these situations, all of the concerns I mentioned are still present, and still deeply concerning. 

Furthermore, since the policy has already gone into effect, many students have identified issues not outlined below, such as extreme wait times (multiple students report waiting up to an hour and still not being assigned a driver) and verbal disapproval from the Lyft drivers (many of whom have expressed that they are going to stop taking rides in the area because the economic incentive is no longer viable, which will only make wait times longer). As a result, many students have reported calling Ubers on their own dime, as well as walking home, which can be incredibly unsafe, especially at night. The previous policy was in place to prevent these things from happening, and there was nothing wrong with it. There was no need to change the policy from what it was before, and the only reason that would make any sense on the University's behalf would be financial, which is mind-boggling considering their $8.12 Billion endowment and constantly increasing tuition. The change in this policy has only further contributed to the narrative that USC does not value its students, as if we needed more reason to believe this after the administration's continuous missteps regarding sexual assault allegations, increasing tuition/making false promises of financial aid via the Affordability Initiative, interactions with the surrounding communities, and countless other instances. To quote Daily Trojan, "USC's constant prioritization of profit over their students wields education as a weapon". 

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Below is the original petition, published December 21, 2021.

SUMMARY:

The administration at the University of Southern California has chosen to modify its Safe Ride Program, also known as Free Lyft or Fryft, effective January 10th, 2022. The change, announced to students conveniently at the end of an email right before finals week, includes "revisions" that go against the very principles the program is based in. The modifications (posted here) include:

a) The inability to call a Lyft for more than one person, due to changes REQUIRING shared rides (i.e. Uber Pool), which eliminates the possibility to use the buddy system, a practice promoted and encouraged not just at USC (and by the USC administration), but in life. 

b) What this means is that if two (or more) people are traveling together, they must now make individual requests for rides, even if they are going to/from the same location. Individuals will then be matched based on location, but there is no guarantee that these people will be placed together. I cannot unpack all of the issues with this in a concise manner, so please see the detailed explanation (found below) for an outline of what this means for students.

Finally, it is very important to note that the reason for this change cannot be justified in any way except financially, demonstrating (yet again) that the administration prioritizes money over the safety and health of its students. As much as I love this school, and how usually proud I am to be a trojan, today I am ashamed. And angry. And dumbfounded. We as students should NOT have to beg for our safety. Even if this policy is revoked or reformed, the mere fact that it was shared in the first place will indefinitely leave a bad taste in my mouth, as I am sure it will others. I URGE President Folt and the administration to revoke the insanity that is this new policy and to take a serious look at their priorities.

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MORE INFORMATION: 

On December 3rd, 2021 (during the last week of classes, which immediately followed Thanksgiving and preceded Finals Week), the University of Southern California Department of Student Affairs sent an email to their students entitled "We Are SC: See You in 2022!". The email, a weekly newsletter, likely went unread by almost all of the student body, given the timing, casual appearance, and lack of indication that the email would contain any new, let alone important, information. However, this was not the case. Located on the third-page*, below an announcement about free pizza in the quad, the University chose to share some VERY important and alarming information. The section, attached for your perusal, detailed important updates to the USC Safe Ride Program. 

In their defense(...), the school then proceeded to send another email on December 6th, on behalf of the Department of Transportation, a name that screams "Click This Email". Here they included information about these changes, again at the very end of their email, after first writing multiple paragraphs on how Fryft will operate during Finals and Winter Break. It is only today, December 21st, that I have seen or heard anyone mention the changes to the policy, and this is almost certainly attributed to social media and The Sack of Troy, a student-run publication. I have included all of these details to hopefully illustrate just how bewildering this new policy is, and how obvious it is that the University wanted to hide the information and postpone/lessen/prevent/ the backlash they expected. 

Now, let's take a look at the policy, specifically how not allowing friends to travel together is downright unsafe. In cases where Fryft is most popularly used, such as on weekend nights, there could be numerous people traveling to and from the same location, making the chances of being paired with someone they are traveling with the slimmest at the times it is needed the most. The University is trying to claim that this new program is safe because the other passenger would also be a USC student, implying that this means USC students cannot be dangerous. Claiming this despite the Fall semester we had as a community, a semester that caused so many to live in fear of their peers, is honestly disgusting. Not only did administration take the bare minimum of action for the situation, but now, mere months later, they are instating this program? The logic behind it is impossible to comprehend. 

Some questions to ask/situations to imagine:

What do I do if my friend is sloppy drunk and I do not believe they will make it home alone? What are we to do in this (VERY COMMON)  situation? Walk our friends home at 1 A.M. in South Central? Or put them in a Fryft with a stranger and no one to help them once they arrive at their residence? 

What if I or a friend of mine is having an emergency? For example, a mental health crisis, where most of the time it is not safe to leave the person in crisis alone. What should we do then? What if the passenger they are/I am paired with worsens the issue?

What if I am traveling with two other friends? Sure, two of us could be placed together, but the third is automatically assigned to someone random. 

What if I do cancel my ride (a situation mentioned by the university) upon seeing the identity of the other passenger, and said passenger harasses me for not getting in the car with them? Or if I am uncomfortable but too afraid of the other passenger and their potential response to cancel my ride? 

And lastly, how does this help prevent the spread of COVID-19? Since that is why the Safe Ride Program was modified initially in 2020. Why is it now, especially with Omicron and a possible delayed/virtual start, LESS important that we are not confined inside the backseat of a car with another individual for up to 20 minutes** at a time?

Frankly, the fact that this policy was ever proposed, let alone planned, clearly illustrates the lack of either care or common sense, neither of which are acceptable. I, a nineteen-year-old, should not have to be spending time on my only real break of the school year begging my administrators to do their jobs. Not only must this policy not be enforced, but the people making these decisions need to be held accountable by both themselves and others. And when it comes down to it, most importantly, we as students should not have to beg for our safety. 

Thank you.

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Footnotes:

*as shown in print preview

** time calculated (using Google Maps) from the northernmost to the southernmost point of the Fryft zone