If ever there were a time to focus on student safety, that time is now.

Penn State Police Services has reconsidered its Escort Service program, through which students can call 865-WALK and have someone accompany them home at night. One dispatcher will now handle both alarm and escort calls, consolidating those services under one department.

It's commendable that Penn State police are finding ways to save money amidst constant budget struggles and skyrocketing tuition. But one thing that stands out is how few students are using the program. In the 1997-98 academic year, 2,143 students called for a student escort. In 2002-03, only 242 students used the Escort Service.

Penn State Police Services said there has been a small increase in usage since the string of stranger sexual assaults in August and September.

Officials should consider further improving the Escort Service, which could be an especially valuable tool after the sexual assaults that caused some women to carry pepper spray while on campus or downtown at night. What is different about the program now as compared to in 1997, when so many more students used it?

Maybe the service needs to be better publicized, but without spending too much money. Posting fliers around campus is a viable option. Without publicity each year, incoming freshmen and other underclassmen do not have much of a way to find out about the service.

The police department could also better educate potential users of the Escort Service on who exactly the student escorts are. Otherwise, students may view the program as just having a stranger come to protect them from other strangers, which would seem to defy the purpose of the Escort Service.

Even if the number of students using the program doesn't bounce back, keeping the Escort Service is worth the comfort of the few students who do use it, and worth reducing the possibility for another attack.

The reorganization of the Escort Service is a great example for how the university can cut funds without compromising its services. Hopefully, it can find a way to promote the Escort Service to get its usage back to where it used to be, adding to campus safety during a crucial year.