SGA crafts local transit plans

Author: Kris Knapp and Jason F. Siegel

The Student Government Association (SGA) held its first meeting of 2006 on Sunday night in the Robert A. Jones '59 House conference room to go over its accomplishments from the fall and to set its agenda for the winter and spring terms. SGA President Eli Berman '07.5 encouraged members of the SGA to maintain the discipline and momentum they had achieved last semester as they move into the coming year.

Berman emphasized the progress the SGA had made in implementing a College-run shuttle service to and from nearby cities. "We've conducted a survey, and it's clear that students really need the College to provide transportation," he said. "Eventually we'd like to have weekly buses to Montreal, Boston and New York. But for now, we're going to start with a shuttle to Burlington. It should be in place by the end of Winter Term. At this point, we're just waiting for the money."

Berman noted that the Student Activities Fee would fund the service, but added that the more than 800 responses were "overwhelmingly positive," and many said they would even be willing to pay a fare for the service.

Another goal for the SGA is the shuttle to the Mad River Glen and Sugarbush ski resorts. Nearly half of all respondents to the survey said they would favor such a service, and about half of those would be willing to pay a $10-15 fee. Berman said that the fee would offset most of the cost, and would require an investment of less than $1,000. The service may be running by the end of the month, if not earlier.

Berman mentioned that the SGA was investigating the possibility of purchasing a bus for Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) on the condition that the bus run on biodiesel. ACTR is also looking for $6,000 per year to make up for the gap in its budget for the Snow Bowl route, more than 70 percent of whose passengers are College students.

Other plans for the SGA include a major update of its out-of-date Web site and the organization of elections. There will be a vacancy in Brainerd Commons since Jen Bowen '09 returned to Tulane University, as well as an opening for junior half-year senator and first-year Feb senator.

"We've accomplished so much, and we can only improve," Berman said. "But to really get things done we're going to need to make sure we stay focused and keep working hard."