Northwestern will fund a pilot program for Saturday shuttles into Chicago, acting upon a request made in Winter Quarter by the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee, Associated Student Government representatives announced Wednesday night.
The University Budget Committee sent a letter confirming its support for the shuttle proposal Monday, said Kate Pascale, ASG’s outgoing external relations committee director. While she wasn’t positive when the pilot program would start, it would likely be unveiled in Fall Quarter of the 2008-09 academic year.
“Right now we’re looking at Fall Quarter and looking at times to roll it out,” the Communication senior said. “We’re going to publicize it, hoping that students will hold up their end of the bargain and go out and use it.”
“They funded the Saturday intercampus shuttle proposal! Woo-hoo!” former ASG President Jonathan Webber wrote in a letter read aloud to the Senate by Speaker Jack Eichorst. Webber’s term ended yesterday night.
Later, Webber said while the issue of transport into Chicago had previously been discussed, this year differed in the level of ASG’s dedication.
“This is certainly the first time (it has been proposed) in a comprehensive and responsible and reasonable way,” the Weinberg senior said. “They did background research, polling, wrote a huge written proposal – it was done in the right way and I think that’s why it was successful.”
ASG’s external relations committee first proposed Saturday intercampus shuttles during Winter Quarter. An ASG poll posted on NU Link in late January garnered almost 2,500 responses, with more than 98 percent in favor of such a service.
The shuttles were proposed as a way of promoting alternatives to alcohol-based socializing, Pascale said.
“Our thinking was that if students had more entertainment options and there were better ways to get downtown, then there would be fewer problems,” she said.
The work the external relations committee had done made the administration less cautious about the proposal, incoming UBPC chair Jonathan Kent said.
“The thing that made this year this successful was that a lot of the dialogue that we had throughout the year was ongoing,” the Weinberg junior said. “They had a much clearer idea of how realistic our proposals were.”
The committee’s initial proposal included operating a shuttle for eight hours between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m., with a two-hour gap, at a cost of $6,554.80.
“Looking at it, it’s really not that big of a cost because so many students (will) use it,” Weinberg sophomore and UBPC member Sandeep Kini said. “We assume that during the pilot program as many students will use it, and the administration will keep it going.”
A similar shuttle service to Chicago was discontinued several years ago because of expense and lack of use, said Eugene Sunshine, senior vice president for business and finance.
“It was tried a couple of years ago and discontinued for lack of use,” he said. “At the very least it was a joint decision between the administration and the student government.”
Given the interest displayed from the student body and the strong plan put forward by ASG, a test of Saturday intercampus shuttles will be worth the money spent on it, Sunshine said.
“It’s a significant sum of money but not something that’s going to break the bank,” he said “We’re pleased to be able to do it, and sometimes you have to experiment.”
Pascale said she considered the approval of funding for the shuttles to be the defining achievement of her term.
“It’s the thing that I’m most proud of as a director,” she said. “That we will be able to better interact with these communities in Chicago.”
