Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) is continuing Foot Patrol services over the summer months — even with few students on campus.
Before the pandemic, Foot Patrol accompanied students who live up to an hour off-campus on their walks home. As a result of physical-distancing measures, this Safe Walk program can no longer be offered. However, Foot Patrol has modified and added new services for the duration of the pandemic.
Liam Callaghan, a second-year student in his master’s of legal studies, is the Foot Patrol administrative co-ordinator. He oversaw the implementation of these changes and said that they now offer two main services — the Walk and Talk phone line and a temporary texting line. These services are run by volunteers from their homes and have been modified to account for the altered needs of students.
“We altered our Walk and Talk phone line to both be for if someone is walking in the evenings and didn’t feel safe, and if someone is feeling bored, lonely or isolated and wanted someone to talk to,” Callaghan said.
He added that the texting line was also created for students who wanted someone to talk to.
Foot Patrol was always available to students anywhere in Canada. However, with COVID-19, it is being used more frequently on a national level.
“If they’re walking somewhere in the evenings and they don’t feel safe, we’re happy to pull up Google Maps, kind of follow along where they’re walking if they’re willing to disclose that,” Callaghan said. “If something were to happen, then we can call the authorities for them and make sure they get the help they need.”
Callaghan said that adding these new modifications was not without its challenges. Since Foot Patrol is normally run from an office, the transition to volunteers working from home was challenging. The Foot Patrol administration also struggled to inform people about the modifications to the service and the fact that it was still running.
Cameron Davis, a third-year software engineering student who volunteered with Foot Patrol for a year and a half, said that a lot of hard work goes into running the program behind the scenes.
“Although every student may not use it, those who do really benefit from the support it provides,” Davis said over Instagram direct message. “[Foot Patrol] is the home to some of the hardest working students on campus […] who go far beyond what is asked of them to make sure that the service is the best it can possibly be.”
Kiyara De Silva, a second-year electrical engineering student, had a positive experience using the service for help getting back to her residence when she and a friend were lost on campus.
“It is an important service for international students, like me, who struggled to find their way around the university,” De Silva said over Snapchat. “I feel relieved that there’s a service we can call even to have someone talk to us while walking alone.”
The Walk and Talk services will continue to operate during the fall until it is safe for Foot Patrol to resume normal operations.
“We’re still there for students, despite everything that’s been going on recently with COVID-19.”
Featured image provided by CUSA website.
