A note on transportation improvements

I’m on the committee that negotiated the changes. There is a lot more we want to do. We want to keep the price affordable. We want to add departure and return trips on Saturday. We want to add an early afternoon departure on Monday and a late night return on Sunday. We want to get weekend shuttles to Hartford’s nightlife. Et cetera.

All of this can’t happen at once, but it’s not going to happen at all unless we show the administration how badly we want it and need it. They’re going to be monitoring ridership from now until the end of the year to trace the impact of our improvements. If we don’t show increased demand, we’re not going to be in a position to bargain for the additional changes we want.

So here’s our call to action: get on that bus! It’s only $5 now, it runs down to New Haven at 6pm on Friday and comes back up from the train station at 4pm on Sunday. Sell out all the tickets at the box office so the administration has no choice but to add more departure times. If you want it, use it – even if it’s not always the most convenient option. Because this isn’t just about getting a cheap and easy ride down to New Haven – this is about sending a message to the administration. If we want change, we’re going to have to work together to get it done. Four students sitting in a room with administrators is just not going to have the same impact as 500 students clamoring to get a seat on the shuttle to New Haven.

So don’t drive, don’t walk, don’t swim. Ride. Send a message. Get the change you want.

Saul Carlin ’09 (scarlin at wes)