Task Force to Study Shuttle

Administrators have recently established a task force to look for ways to improve campus shuttle bus service, Assistant Dean of Students Ellen H. Towne said yesterday.

Towne said that the task force, which met for the first time last Tuesday, is made up of undergraduates, graduate students and administrators.

The task force plans to solicit suggestions from administrators, faculty and students on how to improve the service, said Towne, who sits on the committee. In particular, the members of the task force will focus on questions of punctuality, reliability, and route coverage, she said.

Towne said that the committee was not created in direct response to concerns about crime on campus that have been raised following a rash of recent local assaults. However, she said she would try to make sure the task force kept security considerations in mind.

"I will bring to the attention of the task force the shuttle bus routes, and especially the waiting areas," she said.

Towne said that statistics kept by the shuttle bus service indicate that ridership drops sharply after 11 p.m. But a security survey conducted last April showed that large numbers of students continue to travel between houses and libraries until 3 a.m., she said. Most of these students use the escort service or walk.

Towne said she is interested in finding out why so few students use the shuttle after 11 p.m. She said she also hopes the task force will consider the security of the waiting areas.

Former Undergraduate Council Chair Evan B. Rauch '91 said that the council has made several efforts to increase shuttle service over the past few years, but until recently had made little progress.

The council is currently considering a proposal to increase shuttle service beginning next fall, said Rauch, who also sits on the committee. One way this might be done, he said, is to shift one latenight shuttle run to a weekend afternoon.

But Rauch said he realized the plan might have its opponents. "People might make a counter-argument that shifting the late night schedule might pose a security problem," he said.

Rauch said he was pleased to see shuttle administrators showing an interest in student concerns.

"I'm sure the shuttle coordinator is very competent, but he does not live in the Quad," said Rauch, a Cabot resident.

And council member Amy H. Mezulis '94, who also sits on the committee, said that the task force will review the suggestions it receives before the end of this semester. She said that the University would test any proposed schedule changes while summer school is in session.

The other members of the task force are: Edward Casey, a manager in the Facilities Maintenance Department, Associate Dean for Human Resources Thomas A. Dingman '67, Kennedy School student Robert Rodriguez, Jason A. Topaz '93 and Charles A. Lesburg '91