Frostbite Express must stay on schedule to fulfill purpose

The Frostbite Express might be inadvertently contributing to frostbite. On one particularly frigid day, I waited on two occasions for the elusive shuttle. Both times it was a minivan driver who normally shuttles athletes to the Ryan Field area who took pity on me and 10 other shivering students. I’m sure the shuttle would have eventually arrived, but when it is 15 minutes behind schedule, it has failed to serve its purpose in saving us from the cold.

Conventional understanding of bus routes allows for some leeway because of traffic and stoplights. But those margins should never be in excess of five minutes, let alone 20. When it’s not clear whether the shuttle you’re boarding is 15 minutes late or five minutes early, a problem clearly exists.

Whether it’s waiting in the bitter cold for the Frostbite Express or standing idle on the dangerous streets of Evanston praying for the Purple Route, students are often better off walking or finding alternative transportation.

Evan North

Medill senior

Letter inadvertently justifies policy on racial descriptions

I’m sure it wasn’t his intent, but Robert VerBruggen’s letter on Friday pretty much justified why The Daily shouldn’t use race as a sole descriptors of an attacker.

He said,”While knowing a suspect’s race doesn’t let the public know which exact individual to look for … it allows large proportions of the population to be weeded out.” Excuse me? So what he really means is it’s cool that we don’t know enough to catch the robber, but at least we know he’s not white. The only way the police will catch these people is if they are found in the act of robbing someone or soon thereafter.

And if he didn’t already sound ignorant enough, VerBruggen proceeded to hit us with this profound statement: “People need to have the descriptions of people to avoid.” Common sense should tell you who to avoid at night, not a vague description like race.

You need to be a man and take it upon yourself to know when you are vulnerable, and then you have to be aware of your entire surroundings. It’s not like these guys are just posted up on a corner waiting for you and your money to walk by so they can jump you. If you’re close enough to tell the race of a potential attacker, chances are it’s already too late.

The Daily is right. By only describing attackers as black or African American, stereotypes will continue to be manifested and exaggerated. I applaud the editors for this decision.

Jason Arican

McCormick junior

former Daily staff member