Evaluation of Survey Data and Subsequently the Word of Mouth Advertising Method to Increase Ridership within the Campus Escort Service at UNR

Campus safety is a major concern for many colleges across the nation, including the University of Nevada Reno. In order to promote and facilitate campus safety, the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN) funds a program called Campus Escort. This program drives students to and from campus so that they do not have to walk alone at night, therefore helping to minimize the chances of a crime taking place. Unfortunately, statistics gathered by the Campus Escort service show a downward trend in ridership since 2002. In addition, The Office of Institutional Analysis shows an upward trend in student enrolment since 2002. This negative correlation does not bode well for Campus Escort, and if these trends continue, it will inevitably lead to a reduction in funding for the service. A reduction in funding, for Campus Escort, could ultimately affect safety on campus and leave students at risk. In an attempt to reverse this trend and increase Campus Escort ridership, the researcher first conducted a survey that was administered to current riders of Campus Escort as well as Psychology 101 students. The results showed word of mouth was the most common type of advertising students were exposed to, concerning Campus Escort. Second, an intervention utilizing the word of mouth advertising method was enacted within the Campus Escort organization. The results demonstrate that the intervention may have had an effect, but further research is needed before an increase in ridership can be conclusively attributed to the intervention.

Name thesis:degree_name

Psychology

Level thesis:degree_level

Honors Thesis

Grantor

University of Nevada, Reno

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Vinik, Kevin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alavosius, Mark P.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/436

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/436