The students of STRIPES
by Jessica Petzel, posted Dec. 4, 2007
STRIPES — Supportive Tigers Riding in Pursuit of Ensuring Safety
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Comfortable and organized clutter is framed by leather couches around a TV piled with magazines, books and board games. The large room also contains cell phones, car signs and the control center.
Questions such as “Where is our tip jar or do we not get one?” and “Where is the car?” are heard. And cries of “Check your gas” ring out in the STRIPES office, located off of Rock Quarry Road.
STRIPES is a student-run, volunteer-driven, safe driving service that runs 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
Tonight is Claire Schillinger’s first night volunteering.
“I thought it would be neat to try,” she said. “They did a good job of training us and it should be a fun night.”
Schillinger is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity that supports STRIPES. She said the best part of volunteering is “just being able to help people out when they need it most.”
Bethany Panian, who has been volunteering for three years and is one of the leaders, agrees and said she likes “helping the community at this time.”
Panian has been part of STRIPES since her freshman year because of the relationships; the organization has given her a home base of friends. She was involved in high school and had a hard time getting involved in college until STRIPES. The organization takes everyone who enjoys serving and just wants to have some fun.
“I’ve made a lot of amazing friends,” she said. “And there’s always somebody to get to know and goof around with.”
Mason Prashek, director of STRIPES, agrees with Panian that it's the people that make the organization.
“It’s a great atmosphere to meet students from all over campus and to come together towards such a great goal,” he said.
Prashek has also been involved since his freshman year. Three years ago, he visited the STRIPES summer welcome booth and they e-mailed him back during the school year.
“Our biggest challenge has been recruiting new and excited volunteers,” he said. “Because we are completely student volunteer run, we are always on a hunt for volunteers and we’ve needed them more than ever as the incoming number of volunteers pales to the outgoing numbers every semester.”
As director, he is also in charge of the budget, being the spokesperson, making copies or taking care of any other on-the-spot requirements.
“The executive board and myself all worked very hard this past semester to try and breathe as much life as possible back into the program,” he said. “Hopefully, the efforts we laid down will continue to be impressed upon our members and our volunteer numbers will begin to rise significantly.”
