Wolfpack Pickup (WPU), a service that transports students with mobility limitations around campus, has recently been subject of criticism. However, the organization has plans to improve.
Although its cause is noble in intention, there have been complaints about the program from multiple students, so the Technician sat down with the student coordinator of the program, Matthew Mirabile, to discuss these issues.
“After [WPU’s founder] graduated [in 2015]…there was a rough transition. I definitely understand the problems that people had because I saw it and communicated that to the people above me,” Mirabile said. “The issue was there was never a clear command above me. But I do think issues of student complaints and missed rides have reduced since we reorganized.”
Monty Nelson, a senior studying parks, recreation and tourism management, used the service in the fall of 2014. “I used them when I had my knee surgery and the first couple times they left too quick for no reason,” Nelson said.
Issues reported from other students were mostly similar, including not receiving a courtesy call before their ride left or their ride being at a different spot than was originally planned.
WPU received a $25,000 endowment in summer 2014 from the NC State University Foundation and a $10,000 donation from North State Bank the following fall, according the organization’s handbook. The program has seen constant and rapid expansion, a trend which is set to continue, according to Mirabile.
“In spring 2017 we will double the amount of drivers that we currently have,” Mirable said.
The phrase “necessity is the mother of invention” holds true for Wolfpack Pickup, created in 2014 by Paige Maxon, an NC State alumna who graduated in 2015.
When she was a freshman, Maxon began having troubles walking to class. Though she was initially unsure of the cause, Maxon was later diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Frustrated with the situation she was in at the time, she decided to be an active participant in facilitating the change she wanted to see on campus.
In summer 2013, she started a petition on Change.org to start up a transportation service for students with impaired mobility. The petition was a success, as it quickly gained hundreds of signatures, including that of Chancellor Randy Woodson.
Woodson then sent Maxon to Mike Mullen, vice chancellor and dean of the Division of Academic and Student Affairs. During fall 2013, Maxon and Mullen developed the logistics of Wolfpack PickuWp but it did not kickoff for another semester. In its first semester that following spring, WPU began service and provided over 800 rides.
