SafeRides
General Body Application
New Members
Spring 2013
Due Monday, January 28th @ 5pm
Questions? Concerns?
Contact Courtney Latimer, Membership Director
latimecb@dukes.jmu.edu
Completed applications should be dropped off in our mailbox #8193
(Located in Taylor Hall, with all organization mailboxes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SafeRides?
We are a student run, non-profit organization whose mission is to create a safer community for
the city of Harrisonburg. Members work to prevent drunk driving by educating JMU students,
fundraising to help support our mission, and providing free rides home for JMU students.
SafeRides is a non-judgemental organization, we neither encourage nor discourage the
consumption of alcohol.
Who can join?
Any JMU student who is at least 18 years old and in good academic standing with at least a 2.0
GPA can be a member.
What is the time commitment for members?
Members are expected to attend the weekly meeting, Wednesdays at 7 pm. Each meeting will
be about an hour to an hour and a half long. Members are allowed four unexcused absences per
semester. In order to receive an excused absence, they must email their team leader after reading
the meeting minutes. Since we do operate on the weekends as a designated driving program,
members will be required to work three times per semester, on either a Friday or Saturday night.
Members will be able to sign up for the nights that they want to work each semester through the
Be Involved website. Members are also required to obtain helper and team points during the
semester. Our hope is that members will become excited about the organization and will want to
commit to more than just the minimum.
What is the structure of the organization?
There are over one hundred general body members, who are split amongst eight teams. The
Executive Board is comprised of eighteen members, including eight Team Leaders.
What are teams?
We want to ensure that every member of SafeRides is having fun and feels connected to the
organization as a whole. In order to make this happen, every member of SafeRides will be
assigned a team. Each team has a team leader who serves as a liaison between the Executive
Board and the General Body. Your team leader will ensure that you are bonding, constantly
being updated with current SafeRides information, and having a blast together!
What would a typical night of working SafeRides be like?
Our hours of operation are 10:00 pm - 3:00 am. Members assigned to a night of operation arrive
at our office at 9:00 pm. The Director in Charge holds a short meeting updating the members of
any new information. After the meeting is over, members have time to socialize, eat, and hang
out until 10:00 pm. Each person is assigned a job: working in the office, driving the cars, or
navigating. All the drivers of the cars must be properly trained and submit a driving record.
Each car tries to have a male and female pair acting as the driver/navigator, for liability purposes.
Cars leave headquarters, and then calls are dispatched out to the cars. At the end of the night, all
members return to the office to give a quick nightly report. Once you have finished reporting,
you are dismissed to go home.
Would you have to use your own car?
No, SafeRides provides rental cars for operation. We cannot allow students to use their own cars
due to insurance liability.
To sum up: The following are expectations of SafeRides Members:
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Work at least three times per semester: We cannot achieve success and continue to
make the JMU community proud without your help.
Attend weekly meetings: If you are not able to make a meeting, be sure to email
your team leader after reading the meeting minutes.
Earn helper points: You can earn these by helping out during SafeRides events,
handing out flyers on the Commons, etc. There are many opportunities to help out
during the year.
Participate in team activities: Team points include attending any social events that
your team leader plans.
If selected, the following meetings are required
 Feb 13th – New Member Meeting! 6:00 – 8:00 pm
 Feb 16th – New Member Training and Retreat! Time TBA
 Feb 17th – General Body Retreat! Time TBA
SafeRides New Member Application
Demographic Information:
Name: ______________________________________
E-mail: _________________________
JACard ID #: _______________________________
Birthday: __________________
Local Address:
________________________________________________________________________
Permanent Address:
________________________________________________________________________
Cell Phone #: _____________________________
T-Shirt Size: ________________
Major: __________________________________
Class Year: ___________________
Gender: _________________
Will you be able to attend General Body Meetings every Wednesday at 7pm? _________
If not, why?
________________________________________________________________________
Have you applied to SafeRides before? ________________
If so, what semester (s)? ______________________________________
How did you hear about SafeRides?
________________________________________________________________________
Short Answer Questions:
Please answer each question in less than 500 words.
1) We want all members to understand that we will operate from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am
every Friday and Saturday night of the semester. Are you willing to drive, navigate, or
work in the office the designated number of times per semester, actively participate in
other sponsored events, and educate our campus about the dangers of drunk driving?
Yes / No
If no, please explain.
2) Please list your other commitments in addition to SafeRides, such as jobs, other
organizations, and other time commitments. When do these organizations/jobs meet?
3) How does the SafeRides mission statement align with your life mission statement?
4) What are some creative ideas you have for expanding the SafeRides mission on the
JMU campus and in the Harrisonburg community?
5) There are great organizations all over campus, why SafeRides?
6) How do you view SafeRides’ role in the JMU community?
7) With the help of SafeRides, how do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
8) If you were to be featured in a newspaper article, what would be the title and why?
Personal Statement:
Please include an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper, which describes who you are as an individual.
This will be used in order to get to know you better, so feel free to be as creative as you
want!
If selected after the application process, group interviews will be conducted. Please
check all the possible dates that you could attend group interviews. Interview attire
is business casual.
Monday, February 4th
5:30pm – 6:30pm_______ 6:30pm – 7:30pm_______ 7:30pm – 8:30pm_______
Tuesday, February 5th
5:30pm – 6:30pm_______ 6:30pm – 7:30pm_______ 7:30pm – 8:30pm_______
Thursday, February 7th
5:30pm – 6:30pm_______ 6:30pm – 7:30pm_______ 7:30pm – 8:30pm_______
Friday, February 8th
Please list your availability from 9am-6pm:
____________________________________________________________________