SHUTTLE BUS

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Your October 15 article 15 article on the Medical School--Harvard Square shuttle bus failed to mention several important points.

First, over 100 GSAS students are members of departments located at the Medical School. University housing for graduate students is not available near the medical school, except for a few openings for single students in Vanderbilt Hall. Therefore, many students live in university facilities in Cambridge and commute daily. For these students the shuttle bus is nore than a "convenience." Safe transportation is just as important to students and faculty at the Medical School as it is to users of the Harvard-Radcliffe shuttle. However, we must pay one dollar per day for this service. On a graduate student budget this in an excessive fee, particularly when the University offers us no reasonable alternatives.

Contrary to the tone of your article, the Medical School is a part of the University. Students and faculty on both sides of the river would benefit from a free shuttle since it would enable us to exchange ideas more freely through seminars and other programs. It is unfortunate that transportation costs limit our access to may university facilities and functions. The H-R shuttle makes trips to the Law School and the Business School. Why not to the Medical School?

The cost for a shuttle service should be shared by segments of the University which would benefit from it. Clearly, the Medical School and the Division of Medical Sciences should not have to bear, the entire financial responsibility. It seems reasonable that the present H-R shuttle service could be expanded without excessive additional funding. The H-R buses don't begin running until around 4 p.m. Couldn't these buses be utilized during the day for transportation to the Medical School? Perhaps one larger bus would be needed for trips to the Medical School after 4 p.m., but it seems unnecessary to set up an entirely different system. Surely, the University could consolidate current resources and provide this much needed service. Deborah A. O'Brien   GSAS--3