Clemson was one of two campuses chosen to receive $100,000 in ride vouchers from Uber as part of a campus safety campaign with the nonprofit organization It’s On Us.
The campaign consisted of free ride vouchers for Clemson students, as well as educational and promotional material regarding rideshare safety. In order to access the vouchers, students must scan the QR code or type in the link on the It’s On Us Instagram account. After doing so, $20 will be added to their Uber account.
The campaign was launched on Sept. 28 by a social media post on the Instagram account of the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us. Isabel Dundon, the president of It’s On Us Clemson and a junior marketing major, said that the campaign happened very within a matter of days. Following a meeting with Tracy Vitchers, the executive director of It’s On Us, and a safety chair from Uber, it was launched just two days later.
Along with the vouchers, Uber provided the chapter with posters outlining rideshare safety tips. Anthis said that they plan to put these promotional materials in residence dorms as well as in bars downtown.
This is the second Uber and It’s On Us campaign that Clemson has participated in. This past January, the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us was one of 10 chapters to receive $5,000 in vouchers from Uber.
The initial campaign was a success, according to Vitchers, with vouchers running out quickly, especially at Clemson. Following this, Uber decided to narrow down the number of campuses in order to do the campaign on a much larger scale. Due to Clemson’s active relationship with It’s On Us, it was one of the two schools chosen alongside Temple University.
One of the key components of both of these campaigns was the voices of the students themselves. Representatives from both Uber and It’s On Us mentioned how students are at the core of these campus safety initiatives.
“Ultimately, students are the harbingers of culture on their campuses and we want to make sure that students are able to show up safely to support one another and to advocate for one another if something is going wrong,” Vitchers said.
It’s On Us is a national nonprofit organization that is committed to preventing and spreading awareness of interpersonal violence on college campuses. It was started under the Obama-Biden White House in 2014 and is active on over 250 college campuses.
Students started the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us in 2014, and it has been one of the most active chapters since. Through this campaign, Clemson It’s On Us hopes to expand its presence on campus and promote its various resources to the student population.
“We hope people see It’s On Us as a safe space and utilize our other resources after they have engaged with the Uber campaign,” Anthis said.
Beyond this campaign, the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us hosts multiple events a year to raise awareness of interpersonal violence. The chapter will be hosting a survivors’ vigil on Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in front of Sikes Hall to advocate for survivors of domestic violence.
