What is the history of the RamRide program?

Ram Ride was founded on Oct. 24, 2003 in ASCSU. We are now housed in off campus life as this is our first year out of ASCSU. We operate Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Thursday 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday nights 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Thursday nights we need 26 volunteers, and Friday and Saturday we need 46 volunteers to either drive or navigate.

What changes is RamRide making in the near future?

There’s a lot of really good changes coming to RamRide. For one, we’re getting a new dispatch system shortly which allows CSU students to download a RamRide app on their iPhone or android device to request rides. It is going to be completely automated, so your ride will go into a queue and you will be assigned a car closest to you with your GPS coordinates. Hopefully, this will cut down on wait times and increase how many rides we’re giving each night.

Who typically volunteers for RamRide?

Our volunteers are the backbone of RamRide; that’s the only reason we can provide as many rides home as we do each weekend. Student organizations volunteer frequently and we usually pay them $10 the first time, $12 the second and $15 the third time per person.

How can student organizations benefit from volunteering?

Starting this weekend, we are offering student orgs $1000 if they can bring 30 volunteers for a night of operation. If your student org doesn’t have that many members, you can always combine with another group and volunteer together, making about $33 per person.

If anyone is interested in volunteering, how should they contact you?

If anyone wants to sign up, stop by the RamRide office or email at RamRide@colostate.edu for more information and to see what dates are available. I really want to show student orgs that there is this huge fundraising opportunity for them. The RamRide office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the LSC North.

Why has there been so little people volunteering for RamRide lately?

A lot of student orgs may have only had their first or second meeting of the semester and may have just appointed their fundraising chairs or they really haven’t gotten around to figuring out what they’re doing for their community service hours yet. [Student organizations] haven’t had a chance to assemble themselves yet so throughout the semester. I’m hoping it will improve but we’re struggling for volunteers so we’re trying to create incentives in order to increase the retention rate among our volunteers.

Besides the monetary compensation, what other benefits are there for volunteers?

You are not only volunteering but also developing yourself and making connections on campus. A lot of the RamRide community is almost like a close-knit family and is a great way to go out and build a relationship on CSU’s campus. It’s also the impact you’re making, you’re keeping 1000 people off the roads each night from driving or walking late at night and getting them safely home.

Collegian ASCSU Beat Reporter Lauren Rullman can be reached at news@collegian.com.