Shuttles to run every 15 minutes between Quad And River on day of The Game; UC to foot the bill

Although the Office of the President has pulled the funding it provided two years ago for extra Quad-River shuttles on the morning of the Harvard-Yale game, the shuttles will still run every 15 minutes this year, now courtesy of the Undergraduate Council (UC).

But the UC member who co-sponsored the bill funding the shuttles, Amadi P. Anene ’08, said that the money from the UC is a one-time deal.

“This is something that the President’s office and no other office should be in charge of doing,” Anene said. “We’re going to fund the shuttles this year and have vigorous negotiations with the President’s office to follow.”

When reached last night, University spokesman John Longbrake said he could not confirm the change in funding.

Harvard Fun Czar John T. Drake ’06, whose Office of Student Activities is planning Harvard-Yale festivities, said he agreed that the UC should pay for the increased shuttle services because of the high costs of The Game.

“With the tailgate and the pep rally and these Friday night parties, there are a lot of costs coming to our office from Harvard-Yale,” Drake said. “I think that the UC stepping up to take on some of these costs is a responsible thing.”

UC member Geoffrey D. Kearney ’07, who co-sponsored the bill and lives in the Quad, said the added shuttles are important because distance discourages many of his fellow Quadlings from attending sports events.

“It just seemed like a no-brainer to propose a service that we know students would like and would be good for athletes in terms of getting support,” Kearney said.

And UC Treasurer Benjamin W. Milder ’08 said that the cost of the additional shuttles, $332, did not concern him.

“For one game, it’s a drop in the bucket in terms of our budget,” Milder added.

—Staff writer Margot E. Edelman can be reached at medelman@fas.harvard.edu.