South SFV Today

On a typical Friday night, Stanford senior Jacqueline Becerra is often seen hopping into a 5-SURE van. The service, run by students, offers her a safe and free ride to her destination – the Enchanted Broccoli Forest (EBF), an undergraduate theme house. “I love 5-SURE. It makes me feel safe,” said Becerra, who uses the service about once a week.

The student-run service, known as 5-SURE – which stands for Students United for Risk Elimination – provides free rides seven days a week from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. to anyone with an active Stanford ID, including faculty, staff, and postdocs.

Joey Lariz, Becerra's driver and friend since their freshman year at Stanford, is also one of the co-directors of 5-SURE. According to him, demand for this service is strong among students. “On a typical Friday night, I can give well over 100 rides,” he stated.

Tiffany Cartagena, another co-director of the service and also a dispatcher working from an office in Rogers House, said that requests for rides are pretty steady especially on weekends. She noted that wait times can vary depending on demand and the distance a driver must travel.

Despite its practicality and reliability as a means of transportation around campus, it's the safety aspect that remains an important draw for users of the service.

Interestingly enough, while similar services at other colleges and universities often operate under campus law enforcement supervision, 5-SURE began as a student initiative at Stanford and has thrived under that model.

The original service was called SURE (Students United for Rape Elimination) and was created in 1979 following growing concern among students about campus safety. Ron Lepow ’80 was its founder.

Lepow reminisced about how SURE started as a grassroots effort, with him recruiting trusted friends to volunteer as student escorts. The service generated a considerable amount of interest among students at the time.

Today, 5-SURE continues to be a student-led program, co-directed by Lariz and Cartagena. It is also professionally managed by the Office of Substance Use Programs Education & Resources (SUPER), whose mission was further defined to prevent drunk driving.

According to Joe Kaczorowski, SUPER’s assistant director and program supervisor, demand for the service is now higher than ever. “Before COVID we were giving around 10,000 rides in an academic year. This year we will definitely surpass that number,” he said.

Ralph Castro, associate dean of students and director of SUPER, mentioned that surveys reflect 5-SURE’s popularity among students who shared that it made them feel safer on campus and that they were very satisfied with the service.

Despite its success, SUPER continues to look for ways to improve the service such as streamlining the dispatch process and increasing the number of vehicles to keep up with growing demand.

The 5-SURE brand has also expanded with a second upstander education program called 5-SURE on Foot which provides safe walks home, snacks, and water in high-traffic party areas of campus during weekends.

Reflecting on his journey with 5-SURE, Lariz expressed his commitment towards ensuring the well-being of people within the community. “I definitely care very much about the campus and the well-being of people within the community,” he said. “And I really want to make sure that I’m doing something with my time here that feels meaningful.”