Since its pilot launch in August, the West Campus Ambassadors program removed over 6,000 pounds of trash from the area and provided over 280 escorts throughout West Campus, according to data from late November.
The West Campus neighborhood, heavily populated by UT students, has seen a decline in safety and cleanliness over the years, said Joell McNew, president of community advocacy group Safehorns. In addition to picking up trash, the program has removed over 4,800 pieces of graffiti and stickers and provided hospitality assistance to over 4,000 people.
In 2020, the University’s Police Department received $8 million and allocated $2 million per year to a West Campus safety program, the latest effort being the pilot launch of the ambassadors program.
The program consists of two services — safety and cleaning — and operates in two zones. The cleaning crew operates daily in Zone 1 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and as needed in Zone 2. The safety crew operates in both zones from 3:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
“If a business or community member sees trash that needs to be picked up or graffiti that needs to be removed, they call the West Campus Ambassadors,” said Meredith Pruitt, associate vice president of communications and engagement in the Office of Business Strategies at UT. “In the evening, the West Campus ambassadors can serve as escorts for students who might want to get from campus to their housing in West Campus.”
Wirostko said their frequent clean-ups and patrols could be helpful for some students, yet he is unsure if he feels safer with them around.
“I don’t really know what they would be able to do,” said economics junior Luke Wirostko. “But definitely seeing some type of uniformed individual in the West Campus area, at least on the outside, feels more safe.”
Some students who live further from campus haven’t seen much from the program yet.
“I’ve never heard of [the ambassadors program] before,” said Mak Jackson, an environmental engineering sophomore. Jackson lives in Zone 2.
“I don’t have a car, so I walk everywhere around West Campus. … There’s definitely a lot of trash around my apartment and graffiti,” she said.
Jackson said she thinks the cleaning crew could be helpful and having escorts at night would help students feel safer.
“We hope that students have seen an improvement,” McNew said. “We really hope that students think it’s a positive and we hope that they support them.”
