AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin has renewed for the 2025-2026 academic year the West Campus Ambassadors program, a specialized safety, cleaning and hospitality team serving tens of thousands of students living in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood. The program works in collaboration with business and community leaders who are dedicated to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment in West Campus.
Since its launch in August 2023, West Campus ambassadors have:
- Escorted more than 1,300 people safely throughout West Campus.
- Hauled away more than 100,000 pounds of trash.
- Greeted and engaged with more than 50,000 students, staffers and visitors.
- Removed more than 11,000 pieces of graffiti.
During the past academic year, UT successfully extended the service area and hours of the program to serve more of the community in West Campus, resulting in a 65% increase in the number of people whom ambassadors safely escorted to their destinations. WCA’s extended service zone will continue for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The West Campus Ambassadors program is part of the University’s commitment to safety and is in addition to other investments in the area made by The University of Texas System Board of Regents that included installing high-activity location observation (HALO) cameras, opening a UT Police Department (UTPD) satellite office, and significantly increasing the presence of UTPD foot and bicycle patrols.
The West Campus Ambassadors program makes its impact through the consistent, visible presence of dedicated ambassadors. Easily recognized by their dark blue uniforms, there are two kinds of ambassadors:
- Safety ambassadors monitor the region for unwanted activity and work closely with University and local law enforcement. They are available to escort students, staffers and visitors to anywhere in the West Campus neighborhood within the boundaries of their service zone. They also share safety resources and tips, discourage panhandling, and assist with directions and small motor vehicle issues such as dead batteries and flat tires. Safety ambassadors are available 24 hours a day Thursday through Sunday and 7 a.m. through 3 a.m. Monday through Wednesday.
- Cleaning ambassadors provide services including litter and trash collection, weed abatement, graffiti and sticker removal, pressure washing, and cleaning of street fixtures including benches and trash cans to help maintain the area. The cleaning ambassadors service West Campus daily from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The University also provides programs including , which offers walks or rides on campus or from campus to the West Campus neighborhood, and UT Night Rides, which provides Lyft rides from the Main Campus, the J.J. Pickle Research Campus and Dell Pediatric Research Institute to an individual’s home. In addition, UTPD has a free mobile app called LiveSafe, giving the UT community and guests immediate access to police dispatch via text. The LiveSafe app allows you to report suspicious activity and request help, and it includes a peer-to-peer virtual escort tool that connects with any contact in your phone, whether you are riding in a vehicle or walking, to help ensure safe commutes.
The West Campus Ambassadors program is managed by Block by Block, a national leader in urban renewal and business district restoration. Block by Block has been at work in Austin for almost a decade, providing similar services to the Downtown Austin Alliance and the South Congress Improvement Association. The West Campus Ambassadors program is supported by over 100 businesses and community groups in the West Campus area. View a full list of supporters and find additional program information at wcambassadors.org.
