22 November 2015

Jim Schumann
Director of Safety and Security
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Dear Mr. Schumann:
I am happy to inform you that on November 20, 2015 I completed my study of the feasibility of
increasing the Safety and Security escort range from a one mile radius of the school to five miles.
I would like to thank you for granting me permission to conduct research on this subject.
I began the project by conducting research on Google Scholar, followed by a questionnaire
developed from the research. The questionnaire was takin by a group of current Hamline students
who indicated a want to extended the escort range. It was also indicated that the students were
unaware of the current escort service.
I then conducted more research on Scholar to come up with enough information to arrive at a
reasonable conclusion that it is not feasible to increase the escort range. I appreciate the
opportunity to conduct this report.
Sincerely,

Corey Gardner

Increasing Range of Safety and Security escort range

A Feasibility Study
Corey Gardner
November 22, 2015
Hamline University

Abstract
The escort service that is provided by Hamline Safety and Security for Hamline students is a
very useful resource, however, the service only provides escorts within a one mile radius of

campus which is much too short to meet the needs of the Hamline students. This study
researched the feasibility of increasing the escort range. By increasing the range of the escort to
five miles, Safety and Security would be able to provide a safe ride to places like grocery stores
and entertainment with are out of the current one mile range. It was determined that the Hamline
student body would utilize the service if it were raised to 5 miles, though there wasn't enough
research to to prove its feasibility.

Introduction
In October 2015 I received approval to conduct a study of the feasibility of increasing the
range of the escort service, provided by Hamline Universities Safety and Security, from one to a
five mile radius. There are several reasons why the range should be increased:

 Provides more students use due to increase the distance that Hamline students can travel
Allows a safe way for students to travel
Reduces drinking and driving.
The area around Hamline is not necessarily known for being safe. According to the City
of Saint Pauls official website, there were twelve robberies, nine aggravated assaults and over
one hundred thefts recorded in the Hamline Midway area alone. The crime rate proves a risk for
anyone traveling in the Midway at night. By increasing the range of Safety and Securities escort
service, students are less prone to being victims of crimes like these.
Another major risk factor among college students is drinking and driving. According to a
study by Hingson, Herne, Winter, and Wechsler (2001), over 28 million college students reported
driving under the influence, which led to over 600,000 injuries and 1700 deaths among college
students age 18-25. A majority of the bars that are attended by college students are located more
than a mile away from campus which means students are having to find their own means of
transportation.
During the second week of my research I, along with assistance from Professor Soria,
gave out a questionnaire that was filled out by 25 Hamline students. The results of the survey
suggested that students are in favor but did show a majority interest in extending the Safety and
Security escort range. In fact, 56% of the students who took the survey marked that they would
you utilize a city wide escort.
Throughout the remainder of this report I will further describe methods I used, I will
describe my results followed by my conclusion.
Methods
When I was deciding on a topic I wanted to research for my report the issue of drinking
and driving among college students kept appearing in my head. I wanted research something that
could reduce drinking and driving at Hamline and the escort service that is provided by Safety
and Security was a good start. The problem with the current escort system is that it only picks up
and drops of students who are traveling within a one mile radius of the Hamline campus. This is

a problem because the range excludes lots of entertainment, bars and places such as grocery
stores that students might need to travel to.
When I started my research I began by looking for articles on Google Scholar that talked
about drinking and driving. Listed as the second result of my initial search was a study that was
conducted in 2001. The study researched college students ages 18-25 and whether or not they
have ever driven under the influence. The next article I found under this search was a study
conducted in 2003 that examined causes of drinking and driving.

Afterwards, I dove into finding crime rates in the Hamline Midway area. After an internet
search I found multiple places that had specific crimes in the Hamline Midway area sorted by
month. Each of these websites were helpful for identifying crimes that could be avoided with an
escort.
My next method of research would come by a survey that I had 25 students fill out. The
purpose of this survey was to help decide if students wanted to extend the escort range and if
they would utilize the service if the range were increased. The students who took the survey were
all undergrad students that either live on campus or commute to school.

Overall I found it difficult to find resources that pushed my research in one direction or
another. These are some of the methods I used for research:
Searching for articles on Google Scholar about:
- college drinking and driving
-Saint Paul crime rates
-destinations in the Hamline Midway area
I made a survey the was filled out by 25 students.
Searched for internet articles.
Results

My research project focused on whether or not it is feasible to extend the range of the
escort service provided by Hamlines Safety and Security. The escort service will currently
pickup and drop of any Hamline students within one mile of the campus and I am researching the
feasibility of it being fives miles. Based on this, I researched reasons why it should be extended
such as safety concerns, and accessibility.
Current Escort Service
The current escort service that is provided by Safety and Security is a great way for
students to travel within a one mile radius of campus. According to Hamlines website:
Hamline University Safety and Security Services is committed to providing a safe
environment for all students, faculty, staff and visitors. To assist in meeting this goal,
Hamline University Safety and Security Services offers a 24-hour safety escort service to
the Hamline University community and guests. Escorts are provided to, from, or within
campus only. They are provided to or from a person's home, vehicle, or other mode of
transportation within the authorized geographic area of campus.
The escort service is currently very promising if students are looking for a safe ride within a mile
from campus. Unfortunately, most of the destinations students seek to visit are over one mile
away from campus and a therefore out of range for the current escort service.
Results from Scholarly Articles
While reviewing the articles I found on Google Scholar I was able to find some
information that was helpful to finding a conclusion to my report. My first goal was to find
information on drinking and driving among college students. According to a study by Hingson.,
Herne., Winter.,Wechsler (2001), over 28 million college students reported driving under the
influence which led to over 600,000 injuries and 1700 deaths among college students age 18-25.
I was unable to link drinking and driving among college students in the Twin Cities.
Results from Survey
A couple of weeks after I decided the topic for my report, I developed a survey that was
taken by 25 undergrad students at Hamline. The purpose of the survey was to decide if the

students wanted to increase the escort service range and if they would utilize the service. The
first question on the survey was: Where do you live in proximity to Hamline? The results were

1-5 miles from campus (13)

4%

10
or more miles from campus (7)
16%

On-campus (4)

52%
6-10 miles from campus (1)

28%

as shown:
Figure 1. Where the surveyed students live in proximity to Hamline University.
Residence location information is important because the students who lived on campus or
one to five miles from campus are the ones most likely to utilize the escort service since they live
in the required distance from campus. Of the students polled 68% live on campus or within five
miles.
Another question that was on my survey was if students have ever felt unsafe on Hamline
campus. This is important since safety is a big reason why the range should be extended. Safety
is the number one reason why students would utilize the escort service. The results were that

58% of students marked yes while 42% marked no which leans towards the feeling of an unsafe

42%

Answered Yes

58%

Answered No

campus for students:

Figure 2. Answer to whether or not the students surveyed have ever felt unsafe on campus.
The most important question on my survey was the last one. It was Would you utilize a
city wide escort service provided by Hamline Safety and Security? The results of this answer
ultimately decided if it would be feasible to extend the range. Luckily, 56% of the students
answered yes which shows that students would utilize the escort service.

Answered Yes

44%

56%

Answered No

Figure 3. Answer to whether or not escort service would be utilized.

Crime Rate Results

For my last bit of research I wanted to search the crime rate of the Hamline Midway area.
After conducting a search on Google I was able to come up with two sites that provided the
information I was looking for. According to Spot Crime (2015) there were over 50 thefts, more
than 15 assaults and 32 robberies from August 17, 2015 to October 14, 2015. These are crimes
that are easily avoided by a safe escort service. I also found results for October which showed
very similar numbers.

Conclusion
After reviewing my research, it is very hard for me to come up with a conclusion for my
report. I was unable to come up with concrete evidence as to why the range should be extended,
other than crime reports and a few old studies, yet my survey which was taken by Hamline
students prove that they would utilize the service if it were extended from one to five miles.
In other words, I could not find too many good reasons as to why the service should be
extended, therefore, it is not feasible to extend the Hamline Safety and Security range from one
to five miles.

References

Hamline University. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://

www.hamline.edu/offices/security/
Hingson, R., Heeren, T., Winter, M., & Wechsler, H. (n.d.). Magnitude of AlcoholRelated Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students
AGES 1824: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
Live Edit. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2015

(n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2015, from http://spotcrime.com/mn/st. paul/midway

Wechsler, H., Lee, J., Nelson, T., & Lee, H. (2003). Drinking And Driving Among
College Students The Influence Of Alcohol-control Policies. American
Journal of

Preventive Medicine, 212-218.