Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part feature series examining the role of alcohol in the lives of college students.

Adam Sandler sings a love song to Drew Barrymore, Lil’ Jon blares from a student laptop and two members of Kappa Sigma are arguing whether Journey or Foreigner is the better band.

It may seem like fun and games in the Associated Students Inc. room in the University Union, but what takes place there is more serious. From 10 p.m. to 3 a.m every Thursday through Saturday night Safe Rides gives those in need, you guessed it, a safe ride home.

“It’s not just for drinking,” said Mario Garcia, coordinator for Safe Rides. “If you’re on a date you want to get out of, call Safe Rides. If your car breaks down, call Safe Rides.”

While Garcia admitted that most of the calls that come into Safe Rides are alcohol related, it’s important for students to know that Safe Rides exists.

“We have individuals who are here to help,” Garcia said.

An average night at Safe Rides goes something like this: Two campus groups, whether it is a sorority or fraternity or a club, volunteer at least eight members each to sit in and drive people home. The night starts with a movie, some pizza and a lot of sitting around waiting.

Some students pass the time by doing homework on laptops, others engage in spirited games of Connect Four. When the first call of the night comes in, everyone quickly changes focus.

Someone will pick up the line and ask for details about the ride. The person has to answer “yes” to three questions before they can be picked up. First, the person must be student or faculty. Second, they must be able to provide identification proving so. Third, they can only use Safe Rides once a night. The request is denied if the person calling answers no to any of these questions.

“We don’t take people from a party to another party,” Garcia said. “We pick them up from where they are and take them home.”

Ursula Edwards, a senior communications major, said that Safe Rides is a great program as long as people don’t abuse the service.

Edwards and fellow Chi Delta sorority members volunteered for Safe Rides on March 10.

“Sometimes there’s so many people calling, there’s just not enough people to pick them up,” said Shawna Fey, sophomore child development major.

Proximity comes into play when making a decision to pick someone up. Garcia said pick-up and drop-off locations must be within the five-mile radius around Sac State. The boundaries are Folsom Blvd. to El Camino and Interstate 5 to Bradshaw. However, they make exceptions on a slow night, Garcia said.

If the student is denied because of where they’re calling from, they are typically referred to the number of a nearby taxi service, Garcia said.

Will Fahy, a senior criminal justice major, said he likes Safe Rides because no one wants to volunteer to be a designated driver.

“It’s kind of tough to go out and get a ride back sometimes,” Fahy said.

Fahy, along with other members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and Delta Gamma sorority, volunteered on Feb. 23. Fahy said that the most common places people get picked up from are nearby bars.

Fahy said that he has used Safe Rides in the past, when he lived in the dorms, and said the experience was a good one. He called from a bar and within 10 to 15 minutes, they were there to pick him up.

“Sometimes it’s nice to go out and have a couple of drinks without worrying about a ride,” Fahy said.

Every sorority and fraternity is required to volunteer twice, said Anna Cheechov, junior business major.

Cheechov said that on an average night there can be 10 to 20 rides a night that she volunteers for. Each driver is paired up with another person and reimbursed based on mileage when they get back, Cheechov said.

Some volunteers have come back with vomit in their cars, but Cheechov said that Safe Rides reimburses them for cleaning. She said while there has been an instance of violence in the past, most people are in a good mood and don’t cause any problems.

“We’re saving lives,” said Kati Kouklis, Chi Delta freshman. “One ride at a time.”

Find out more information on the Safe Rides on its official Web site.

Frank Miller can be reached at [email protected]