The AUTO program, which was temporarily halted at the end of last semester, was re-launched today, according to Student Government executives.
The program, which usually provides nine vans to student clubs and organizations, will only offer four vans from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The remaining vans will be brought into operation in the future after more changes are made to the program.
“I really do think the program is going to be improved,” SG President Andy MacCracken said. “These are not short-term fixes; these will be viable solutions to the sustainability of the program.”
AUTO was temporarily taken out of commission after AUTO Commissioner Nicholas Russotto decided, in consultation with administration and SG officials, that the program needed a serious overhaul. Concerns had been raised beforehand about the safety of the vans, unclear channels of communication and the billing system, The Eagle previously reported.
In response to AUTO’s failings, Russotto, SG Treasurer Alan Chang and MacCracken drafted an AUTO program manual, changed the billing process from a mileage-based charge to an hourly fee and reworked the certification process.
Previously, it cost 30 cents per mile to rent an AUTO van — barely enough to cover gas, according to Chang. Students renting vans will now be charged $3 per hour. Drivers who have maintained a clean record for over a semester’s worth of use will be charged $2 per hour. The charge increases to $5 an hour after violations of the AUTO policy.
“This is to encourage organizations to use safer drivers, that have a good record instead of just getting anyone to drive with them,” Chang said.
The certification process will also be changed to emphasize a driving test over a written test. Previously, to become a certified AUTO driver there would sometimes be a video shown, sometimes not; sometimes there would be a driving test, sometimes not, Chang said. The process will now be standardized. Every driver must see a 30-minute video, take a 20-minute driving exam and pass a short written test.
In addition to these changes, fines will now be enforced more diligently.
“[Sometimes] vans get damaged and then the organizations or the drivers driving at the time don’t really suffer any financial repercussions to help better themselves at driving,” Chang said. “The fines are there to make people aware that there are things to watch out for when using the vans and that they are responsible for the state of the vans.”
The rest of the AUTO fleet will be made available once scheduled maintenance is completed on the out-of-commission vans. Furthermore, Risk Management must approve the proposed manual before the program becomes fully operational.
The manual has been submitted to the administration and is awaiting approval by Student Activities and Risk Management.
Tony Newman, the director of Risk Management, refused to comment when contacted by The Eagle.
“[We want to] make sure that they look like vans and not war vehicles,” Chang said. “We don’t have a set date for that because we are largely dependent on how soon we can get [AU workers] to fully repair them.”
Until the whole fleet is back in commission, priority will be given to clubs that fall under the direction of Student Activities. Organizations that are not under the Student Activities umbrella, such as intramural sports teams, will not be given priority.
You can reach this staff writer at cszold@theeagleonline.com.
