RamRide celebrates one year

CSU’s RamRide will be blowing out a candle this Sunday to

commemorate its first birthday. Students can help celebrate from 11

a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Lory Student Center Plaza with root beer and

cake.

RamRide is also celebrating giving more than 10,000 rides.

“(RamRide is) the first program to meet 10,000 (riders) within a

year,” said senior Brain Hardouin, director of RamRide operations

and an electrical engineering major.

The safe ride home program began last year when former

Associated Students of CSU President Jesse Lauchner saw a similar

program at Texas A&M and decided to work on implementing one at

CSU.

Meeting the 10,000-rider milestone in less than two years of

operation is an achievement, considering Texas A&M’s program

did not have 10,000 riders until its third year, Hardouin said.

“It is a credit to our volunteers and how our program is run,”

he said.

On Sept. 11, around 1 a.m., RamRide gave a ride home to its

10,000th rider, junior liberal arts major Tyler Fulcher.

To celebrate the occasion, RamRide brought all the cars that

were out that night back to CSU and gave Fulcher a gift basket.

Fulcher said he was honored to be the lucky rider.

“It is sweet,” Fulcher said. “They gave me a few priority ride

passes, candy, a water bottle and 30 balloons. It was my first time

using (RamRide), and I’ll definitely use it again.”

Hardouin said the RamRide volunteers were just as excited.

“I don’t think (Fulcher) knew what was going on. I think the

volunteers were more excited than the rider,” Hardouin said.

Junior Ben Frissell, who was also in the car with Fulcher, said

he uses RamRide regularly.

“I’m stoked we have RamRide,” Frissell said. “I wish we had it

every day, like other schools.”

RamRide operates every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to

3 a.m., except for the Friday and Saturdays before and during Fall

Recess and before finals week.

Hardouin said RamRide has seven staff members and more than 400

volunteers but is still in need of more volunteers.

“By next year, we will have given 20,000 rides,” Hardouin said.

“It depends on volunteers. We have the capacity for 13 cars, but on

average only nine are out, so we have four cars just sitting.”

Kevin Frasure was the volunteer who took Fulcher’s call on Sept.

11, marking the 10,000th ride.

“I like the fact that it is a fun way to do community service,”

Frasure said. “I have fun doing it. You are helping not only the

drunk people stay off the road, but the sober people stay

safe.”

Hardouin said RamRide’s No. 1 concern is to give a ride home to

anybody who needs it, not just intoxicated people.

Frasure is looking forward to volunteering again.

“There are people giving up time for you – it is not bad to give

up one night per semester to help people who help you,” Frasure

said.

 

*Interesting in volunteering for Ram

Ride? Call 491-5931 and ask for Brain Hardouin or Nicholette

Andrews.

*To get a ride from RamRide, cal

491-3333 on Friday and Saturday nights, 10pm to 3 am.

*Come help celebrate RamRide’s

one-year birthday with root beer and cake out from 11 a.m. to 1p.m.

today on the Lory Student Center Plaza.