Shuttle Cuts Not As Harsh As Proposed

Most of the proposed shuttle service reductions that drew student protest last May—including cuts to late-night Quad trips—were not adopted in the 2009-2010 schedule, though weekend morning service has been eliminated.

The new schedule, which went into effect this past Sunday, does not offer its first weekend shuttle from the Quad until 12:20 p.m., a marked change from last year, when shuttles were available roughly every half hour starting at 7:50 a.m.

The more drastic proposed service cuts—announced by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on May 11 as part of a $77 million budget cut package—became a flashpoint for student criticism of the administration’s decision-making process, which many felt did not allow undergraduates sufficient input.

Students also expressed concern that the changes—particularly those eliminating some late-night shuttle service—would endanger Quad residents by forcing them to trek home through the Cambridge Common late at night.

The last shuttle currently leaves from Boylston Gate for the Quad at 3;45 a.m. on weekdays, but the proposal would have pushed the final run two hours and 15 minutes earlier to 1:30 a.m.

Weekend late-night shuttle service, which ends at 4:45 a.m., was not slated to be affected.

Following a series of meetings with students, Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds sent an e-mail to students on May 18, announcing that the decision to limit late-night shuttles would undergo further review.

“What I heard from many of you is that the reduction in overnight service raises safety concerns among those students who use this service,” she wrote in the e-mail.

Elizabeth A. Ross, a Currier House Master, said that she has not seen the new schedule, but that she had hoped that it would not include late-night changes.

Robert D. Longcor ’12 and Kevin G McNamara ’12, both Currier House residents, said they had not seen the new schedule either but were pleased that it did not include weekday or late-night cuts.

“I’m glad they didn’t cut the late-night,” said Longcor, who added that the cuts on Saturday morning would make attending soccer games inconvenient.

But McNamara said he did not mind the weekend morning cuts.

“Saturdays I’m usually asleep until 10 or 11 anyways,” he said.

—Staff writer Naveen N. Srivatsa can be reached at srivatsa@fas.harvard.edu.