SGA takes on transportation

Author: Derek Schlickeisen

The College's Student Government Association (SGA) tackled issues surrounding off-campus transportation in a meeting on Sunday, Nov. 20. In the discussion, senators voiced their support for expanding busing options to outlying cities and providing students with safe rides home from off-campus parties.

SGA President Eli Berman '07.5 said he was approached over the summer by Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) Executive Director Jim Molton, who asked him to join the group's Board of Directors. "He saw a great opportunity to increase ridership in the College because his statistics showed that people don't know ACTR is there," Berman explained.

ACTR currently operates free shuttle buses in and around the town of Middlebury. Berman said that he and Molton discussed adding a low-cost weekly shuttle to Burlington as one way to increase the service's profile in the College community. If approved, the shuttle could begin operation as early as J-Term.

In order to gauge student interest in adding ACTR shuttle routes, the SGA plans to e-mail a survey to the student body at the end of this week. A draft copy of the survey asked whether students would be interested in weekly buses to Montreal, Boston, New York and various local ski slopes. The survey also asked students to identify what they consider to be a fair price for this service.

Berman said that while the SGA could appropriate some funds for the added routes, the student activities fee - currently $220 added onto the College's tuition - would likely not be able to cover the longer trips to Montreal, Boston or New York. "Any way you look at it, these trips couldn't be free," he said. "Someone is paying for them, whether it's money from the student activity fund or from individual students."

According to Berman, the feasibility of adding the new bus routes will depend both on how much interest students express in the service and how much they would be willing to pay. Fares listed on the draft survey ranged from $5 to $50 for the Montreal and Boston routes and $5 to $70 for the New York route.

The SGA may also be close to finalizing an arrangement that would provide safe rides to students returning from off-campus parties. Senators will present a bill within the next two weeks addressing the matter. Still at issue is whether the transportation would come in the form of shuttle buses or volunteer drivers with their own vehicles.

With Berman's support, senators passed a bill last year that would have eliminated off-campus housing altogether. "[Off-campus housing] not only enables underage drinking, but it takes the social life away from campus." However, with the renewed vigilance of Vermont State Liquor Inspector Michael G. Davidson, off-campus parties have only become more frequent.

Said Berman, "The College would be liable for enabling underage drinking if it funded transportation for underage students to off-campus parties." Bringing students back from such events, he added, would not violate state law and would likely reduce incidents of drunk driving. "There is no question that we could start this service as soon as we get it approved."