The College and the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) began recruiting students to man a new escort program for the College on House open-lists over the weekend.

Assistant Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin said he hopes the Harvard University Campus Escort Program (HUCEP)—which will provide a male and female escort at locations on Harvard Yard and by the River and Quad Houses—will be available within the next three weeks.

McLoughlin said HUCEP was not a reaction to recent sexual assault incidents around campus, but created because SafetyWalk, a student group that formerly provided safety escorts, had failed to re-register with the College.

“[The attacks] were just a coincidence,” he said.

Currier House resident Jarrod L. Harrison ’04 said he believes that it is a useful service for female students who feel unsafe, but would not be interested in using the program himself.

“I am concerned about the sexual assaults and I think [HUCEP] is valuable for the women in the community,” he said.

Daniel A. Kahn ’05 said that although he thought the safety escort program was a good idea, he doubted that many students would use it often.

“It’s great to have as many options as possible, but basically [HUCEP] is for dangerous situations,” Kahn said. “They promote it as a regular service, but I don’t know if [students] will use it that way.”

But Stephanie G. Nieto ’06, a Dunster House resident, said she could have taken advantage of the service this past weekend.

“My friends wanted to go to an after-party, but I was tired and I had to walk home by myself,” she said. “[HUCEP] is good for people who don’t want to go to after-parties.”

Laura A. Maludzinski ’06 said she thinks being a HUCEP escort seems like an attractive job for students.

“It’s good pay, not that hard and a good way to meet people,” Maludzinski, a Currier House resident, said.

The College is offering students $10.25 an hour for the position. The service will run between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m., Thursday through Saturday, and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. the rest of the week.

McLoughlin said he studied similar escort programs at 14 other institutions before creating HUCEP at Harvard.

—Staff writer Monica M. Clark can be reached at mclark@fas.harvard.edu.