Staff Editorial | Shuttle a step toward community integration

The tenuous nature of town-gown relations has been affirmed and debated for long enough: students need a regular shuttle that originates on campus and runs in a loop around Poughkeepsie.

The Campus-Community Advisory Committee (CCAC) has been working on a proposal that would regularly provide transportation for students via a looping shuttle. After conferring with Vassar community members, it became apparent that a shuttle system like those used by peer institutions would be an invaluable resource for students.

Institutions such as Tufts University and Wellesley College, for example, have regular shuttles to nearby cities that send an institutionalized message of encouraging students to venture off campus.

The Miscellany News strongly supports plans for Vassar to adopt a shuttle system into Poughkeepsie. CCAC indicated that they hoped the shuttle would begin running weekdays sometime in mid-February, and we urge them to keep the timeline on track (and to minimize delays whenever possible), as well as to consider expanding the shuttle to weekends, since more students would be available to take advantage of the shuttle when class schedules are not a consideration.

College President Catharine Bond Hill’s recent announcement of the planned relocation of the bookstore has brought the issue of Vassar students’ relationship with the surrounding community to the forefront. While moving the bookstore to the space currently occupied by Juliet’s will achieve the goal of increasing foot traffic in Arlington, students walking there and back to buy books will not foster ties between students—particularly underclassmen who might not have cars on campus—and the community.

Currently, students are part of the Poughkeepsie community only as a result of taking a high level of personal initiative to coordinate transportation off campus. Though the Field Work Office helps students with transportation to internship placements (using the pool of cars for field work sign-out and cabs), students who want to attend an event in the community, such as a show at the Bardavon (other than Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre, for which there are shuttles from campus) or a one-time political rally, are left to their own devices.

With the common knowledge that many local cab companies are unreliable and fairly expensive, students are reasonably less inclined to seek activities beyond the campus calendar.

To claim that current students seem reasonably satisfied with the status quo of only having a mall shuttle and staying on campus for most recreational activities is to argue in favor of limiting Vassar students’ options before they have a chance to make their own choices. Certainly, some students may find that they prefer to use the shuttle infrequently, while others may use it with high frequency. But having the option available is the first step.

In the long-term, having a shuttle would benefit current students, and would simultaneously contribute to Vassar becoming a more attractive option for prospective students who are keenly interested in both the campus life and what may lie beyond.

As the College gingerly makes a step forward in declaring an active presence among its business properties in Arlington, Vassar students should take full advantage of the shuttle into Poughkeepsie in order to declare their active commitment to defying stereotypes of ivory tower college students, and instead participating in the broader neighboring communities.

The staff editorial reflects the opinion of at least two-thirds of the 13-member editorial board.