By Maggie Monson

Dawg Ride is an exciting new tool for students who have long walks across campus at night, but changes are coming soon in an attempt to improve the program.
Butler University Police Department created Dawg Ride with the original intent of transporting students between campus and the I Lot. Students who feel unsafe making the approximately 10-minute walk across the canal can call BUPD for a ride back to campus.
Dawg Ride has also been transporting any students who call in for a ride. This is useful for students who live in Apartment Village or the Christian Theological Seminary apartments. After a long night of studying at the library, students won’t have to walk back alone in the cold or darkness.
These calls to BUPD are justified. Dawg Ride will make students feel safer by protecting them from possible crimes, or even alleviating them of a 10-minute walk in the cold.
Students can call in to BUPD and request a ride, and Dawg Ride will come to their location to pick them up. However, this system is going to change soon.
The Dawg Ride drivers and students will have direct contact through a smartphone app, instead of going through the BUPD emergency phone line. This will help clear up the line for real emergencies, but not all students on campus have smartphones.
Dawg Ride will also only pick students up at designated stops, said Assistant Police Chief Bill Weber. While students most likely won’t have to walk far to get to these stops, they reduce the convenience Dawg Ride currently offers.
The changes to Dawg Ride aren’t BUPD’s fault, however. Students took advantage of the convenient program. Students would call from Ross Hall and ask for a ride to Schwitzer Hall.
One student called from Residential College. When Dawg Ride arrived and asked for her destination, she said she wanted to go to Atherton Union.
This is just laziness on the part of the students. Dawg Ride has filled a need for students with significant walks between their residences and campus or from the I Lot.
The changes to Dawg Ride aren’t too drastic. Students without smartphones can still call in to BUPD to get a ride. There will probably be 14 stops, all at strategic locations on campus. However, this system didn’t need to be complicated this way.
Students should stop abusing Dawg Ride. They need to stop being lazy. As much as walking a couple blocks down Hampton during the winter isn’t appealing, it’s just that: A couple well-lit blocks. This walk isn’t too taxing for most students.
Students need to leave the van for those who have an actual need for it. Make the effort instead of wasting the driver’s time and energy. Hopefully, the changes to Dawg Ride won’t hurt the helpfulness and convenience of the service.