Fairfield hosts an array of events around campus for seniors: mug nights, basketball games at Alumni Hall, school dances. But one question arises: how can seniors living at the beach get to campus safely and conveniently? Marco Ambrosio ’07 has the answer – a school-sponsored shuttle service.
After calling a meeting with senior FUSA senators, the Student Beach Resident Association and the Senior Class Council, Secretary of Student Life Ambrosio presented his proposal at the Nov. 11, 2006 FUSA Senate meeting. Because of the presence of alcohol at events like mug night, and inconvenient parking around campus, Ambrosio believes “students have a right to transportation to our own university.”
Caitlin Fracchia ’07 agrees.
“More people would go [to events], and they wouldn’t have to worry about getting a cab or drunk driving,” she said.
However, Ambrosio made it clear that, if implemented, the shuttle service would not be a so-called “drunk bus.” Instead, it would be a way for off-campus students to get “from point A to point B,” from their houses to the campus events, and not “from Fairfield to Bravo.”
If the shuttle becomes a reality, there will also be strict regulations regarding who is allowed on the bus.
“We [the senior leaders] are very willing to set up precautions and guidelines that would make sure only beach residents are bused and that there is a level of safe responsibility on the bus,” Ambrosio said.
Nor will the shuttle be a continually running service to and from the beach.
“They are for certain events,” said Ambrosio, “so students will not have to pay for parking at the Arena at Harbor Yard or fight for parking on campus.”
But even if the shuttle is not a “drunk bus,” there is hesitancy among administrators, who recall previous attempts to establish such a service.
Vice President for Student Affairs Mark Reed, for example, said, “buses of any kind to and from the beach area have been extremely problematic in the past.”
Though he acknowledged such problems in recent years due to the University’s “notorious town-gown relations,” Ambrosio believes the situation has improved “dramatically this year and in recent memory.”
And while the idea behind the service is to increase participation in on-campus events, Athletic Director Eugene Doris thinks the benefits of a shuttle are hard to foresee.
“We have received very good support so far this year,” he said. “I don’t think parking has been an issue with the addition to the lot at the Kelley Center.”
However, Ambrosio disagrees.
“Hopefully this encourages beach residents to stay connected to their University and fosters a greater sense of school pride,” he said.
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