Walking may be the most common mode of transportation for OU students. But to avoid walking alone at night, some students may want an alternative way to get around Athens.

The OU Department of Campus Safety may have answers for students, faculty and staff Ñ the Campus Escort Service and the Campus Area Transporting Cutting Across Boundaries.

"This is an extremely safe campus," said Mark Mathews, assistant director of the Department of Campus Safety. "But, it only takes a few seconds for something to go wrong."

The Campus Escort Service is a free program offering OU community members a safe walk every night, according to a Department of Campus Safety brochure.

A team of two trained student escorts wearing the Campus Escort logo will drive or walk students wherever they need to go, as long as trips either begin or end on campus, including Greek houses. A student should not call Campus Escort if more than two or three people want to use the service together, according to the brochure.

The escort service is beneficial because "students themselves . . . raise questions about their safety," Mathews said.

Campus Escort will pick up students who are intoxicated, Mathews said, but the student must be coherent and physically capable of walking home safely because escorts are not trained for medical situations dealing with intoxication.

According to the department, the use of the service increased from about 4,400 students in the 1995 school year, to just under 7,000 last year.

"Overall the service is evolving to meet the student needs," he said.

CATCAB serves a similar purpose, but provides transportation only for students with disabilities, either permanent or temporary. Students who are too sick to walk to Hudson Health Center or who need a ride to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital can also call CATCAB, Mathews said.

For sophomore Meghan Gilkey, a Treudley Hall resident assistant, on-campus transportation services are night-time safety precaution.

"Being a female on a college campus, I don't want to be walking home a lot, if I have a meeting at Baker Center at 10 p.m.," she said.

The Campus Escort Service is available Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.

CATCAB's hours are 7:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Both services can be reached by calling 593-4040.