Clemson University was one of 10 campuses chosen to receive $5,000 in rideshare vouchers from Uber as part of a campus safety campaign.
Uber announced their rideshare safety campaign on Jan. 27, as a partnership with the nonprofit organization It’s On Us and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administration. Through this campaign, Uber, It’s On Us and IACLEA hope to spread awareness regarding rideshare safety to college campuses.
 “This campaign will work to remind students to get familiar with Uber’s safety features, stick together, check in with friends and loved ones before going out, stay vigilant at night, trust their gut if something seems out of the ordinary, and call 911 in an emergency,” Uber said in a statement on their website.
Uber donated $50,000 in vouchers to the national It’s On Us organization which was then divided and distributed to a select 10 campuses of It’s On Us chapters across the country. The Clemson chapter of It’s On Us was chosen out of over 300 chapters across the nation due to their active engagement. 
“Uber came to us and said, ‘what are some of your most active chapters where we know you have a large uber presence’, and we provided them with a list of 10 schools,” Tracey Vitchers, executive director of It’s On Us, said. 
It’s On Us is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to college sexual assault prevention. The Obama-Biden White House founded It’s On Us in 2014 as an initiative to bring everyone into the conversation of sexual assault, according to the It’s On Us website.
Students started the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us following a sexual assault on campus in 2014, and it has been one of the most active chapters in the nation since. Clemson’s strong engagement with the program led it to be included in a national promotional video for It’s On Us last year, according to Abigail Anthis, a junior women’s leadership student and former president of the Clemson It’s On Us chapter.
The Clemson chapter of It’s On Us distributed the vouchers through their Instagram account on Feb. 2 to overwhelming response. Students were able to click a link in the bio of @itsonuscu or scan a QR code to receive a $10 voucher for an Uber ride. The vouchers were gone within 48 hours of the announcement.
The engagement with the Uber vouchers was unprecedented, with social media allowing the campaign to reach a multitude of students. “The Uber post is by far our most interacted with post on our Instagram page and we gained so many followers from this collab which helps us with the goal of expanding our audience!” Isabel Dundon, current It’s On Us president and a sophomore marketing major, said. 
Other components of this campaign included the promotion of the “verify your ride” feature in which passengers receive a pin only their Uber driver knows, as well as the “safety shield” where passengers can connect with a trained ADT, the home security company agent. Uber also allotted posters to college campuses across the country that contain safety tips for navigating the rideshare app.
There are no current plans to receive more vouchers from Uber nationals. However, Vitchers stated that the national organization tries to do a campaign with Uber every semester.
The It’s On Us Clemson chapter hosted a multitude of events during sexual assault awareness month in April, including a survivor vigil on April 21 and a denim painting event before denim day on April 26.
“We want future generations of Clemson students and survivors to know that there is a safe place for them on this campus,” Dundon said.