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October 24, 2003

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Trinity revises golf cart policy

There are 48 golf carts on this campus. This yields an approximate 45:1 student to golf cart ratio, which may explain why the Student Court hears cases involving stolen (“borrowed”) golf carts several times a semester.

Students usually claim they just figured the carts were for public use since they see so many of them. That’s not so absurd.

Golf carts are such an integral part of Trinity that the campus looks like the college version of the children’s classic book Go Dog Go: “White carts, green carts, flat carts, trash carts. Fast carts, slow carts, towing carts, Escarts. Go Cart go. Little carts with big drivers. Big carts with little drivers …”

In defense of golf cart users, carts are cheaper than regular vehicles and many departments truly need them because of their frequent commutes across an uphill campus and because they often haul items too big to carry, such as projectors, catered food, telephone equipment, and – occasionally – me. Carts have been temporarily added due to the Northrup renovation. Some departments are now far away from the action, much like Prassel residents.

Almost everyone has a golf cart. Purchasing has one because, I assume, they can purchase whatever they want. Ironically, Athletics has a cart. Even the auto mechanics have one. It is the best one, naturally, with 10-inch rims and a 5.5 horsepower motor.

Earlier this month members of the Health, Safety and Security Committee (HS&SC), of which I am a proud member, revisited the golf cart policy. Yes, there is a golf cart policy. Committees deal with important matters like this.

The committee decided to eliminate the portion of the policy that requires drivers and passengers to wear seat belts. Why? Well, none of the golf carts on campus have seat belts. Plus seat belts are expensive to install and apparently research suggests (we love research) that golf cart occupants have a better chance of avoiding injury if they simply jump out of runaway carts. Mostly, I think, the committee resented those lucky enough to have golf carts and decided that their safety was not a concern.

What was clear in the committee was that the safety of pedestrians (and especially committee members) was important. So the HS&SC decided to send the message to golf cart drivers to slow down. The committee recommended that all golf carts on campus be set to run at a maximum speed of 10 m.p.h.

Almost everyone has a golf cart. Purchasing has one because, I assume, they can purchase whatever they want. Ironically, Athletics has a cart. Even the auto mechanics have one. It is the best one, naturally, with 10-inch rims and a 5.5 horsepower motor.

Additionally, the committee voted that all golf carts should bear identification in case pedestrians have complaints. If you haven’t noticed, this has already been done: The secret code is the departmental abbreviation and a number. DEVO is not an 80s band but the Development Office; ARA is for ARAMARK; the Mail Center is PO; and the one with a TC is for student taco runs, I assume.

We love our golf carts. You will even be able to pay them homage at tomorrow’s golf cart parade at the halftime of the football game. Perhaps we can chant the unofficial school motto as they go by: “Go Carts Go.”

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