Senior Andrew Patchell marked his 150th night helping fellow students get safe rides from STRIPES on April 20.
“Patches,” as he is known by his friends, has now been volunteering for the organization since spring of 2009 and is also its web coordinator.
Although members celebrated Patchell’s 150th night Saturday, STRIPES did not even begin keeping records of nights served until 2010, so night “150” for Patchell was really a much higher number.
“I’ve always kind of been a late night person, so it worked with my schedule,” Patchell said. “I hear great stories, and I’m out there helping people.”
The potential for these “great stories” is typically one of the first things mentioned when STRIPES comes up in conversation among students, and with over 150 nights under his belt, Patchell has definitely experienced them.
“Last semester, we lost that Georgia game, and I picked up a group that was totally clueless about it since they had been at a party,” Patchell said. “As we drove by the stadium, the drunkest member of the group started yelling out of the window and harassing Georgia fans, thinking we had won. It was pretty funny.”
Drivers sometimes have to deal with angry passengers, Patchell said.
“It was St. Patrick’s Day, and there was a fight in the car, and I could hear the hitting,” Patchell said. “So I just cranked ‘Party Rock Anthem,’ and it was all pretty good from there.”
Because so many people depend on STRIPES for rides at night, the organization is always trying to fill as many spots as possible with volunteers. Sometimes people cancel and STRIPES is shorthanded, and Patchell has often been there to save the day.
“Patches is the most selfless person I know in STRIPES,” said Melanie Mazuc, Public Relations Coordinator for STRIPES. “He does literally anything we need, whether someone drops the ball on something, or even if you need a shoulder to cry on.”
Patchell’s only fault is that he maybe dedicates too much time to STRIPES, Assistant Director Chris Rucker said.
“He gives 110 percent,” Rucker said. “We often stay at full capacity because he’s always willing to work. He’s also our web guy, so he’ll spend countless hours working on anything, since people are always asking for changes to apps and stuff.”
Patchell said he has stayed on board because he gets to help other people by providing safe rides, making sure classmates are safe and also making sure others on the road are safe, Patchell said.
“And you meet amazing people,” Mazuc said. “You have the best stories.”
Rucker said the best thing about being a STRIPES driver is the people he meets.
“It’s unique because it’s people from the widest spectrum,” Rucker said. “There’s a wide array of people who you get to make a connection with. It’s a lot of fun.”
As far as other MU students thinking about joining STRIPES, Patchell and Mazuc had the exact same answer.
“It’s just a good time.”
STRIPES has been in existence since 2001. It is a student-run organization at MU, promoting campus safety by giving free rides to students and guests for any reason.