Aunchies. Sidestreet. Dicks. DeMil’s. What do these four places have in common? They’re all staples in a senior’s week. Unfortunately, seniors have to rely on designated drivers and taxis to get there.
Cabs can be expensive, and as a college student, I can’t afford to be taking a $10 cab three nights a week. Designated drivers can also be unreliable, whether they stay at the bar or just drop people off. What happens if the designated driver decides to have a drink or two, or goes home and falls asleep?
There should be a university-sponsored shuttle that goes around Hamden to the major bars.
The shuttle could leave from York Hill and students could be carded before getting on to ensure that they’re 21. I wouldn’t even mind paying a few bucks for the night to ensure that I have transportation to and from the Hamden bars. The university could charge two dollars during the week and three on the weekend for round-trip transportation.
Students who live off campus would have to find a way to York Hill and park in the TD Bank Sports Center parking lot, as they would do to take the New Haven shuttle that leaves from the Hill.
Those students would also have to find their own way back to their respective houses unless they know someone living at York Hill who has a couch they could crash on. Having a shuttle within walking distance from your bed would be a major draw to get upperclassmen to live on campus.
Since the town of Hamden is pushing for the university to get more students living on campus and out of off-campus houses, this could be the major push students need. Having a shuttle to the Hamden nightlife would heavily outweigh air conditioned rooms and the convenience of a gym and a (half) meal plan.
The university tries to promote the senior year experience, a fabulous way to end your time at Quinnipiac living by the best ski-lodge-student-center in the northeast, and this should be a part of it.
The university provides transportation into New Haven every weekend, but the majority of the students taking those shuttles are underage.
I’m not saying that the university should take shuttles away from the underclassmen or that the safety of seniors is more important than that of freshmen, sophomores and juniors. My point is that the university isn’t providing transportation around our town for the undergraduates that are actually of the legal drinking age.
The university has just as much responsibility, if not more, to cater to those going out in Hamden as they do to the safety of those going out in New Haven.
In the end, it’s about safety. The university should want the entire student body to safely enjoy the weekend and take any precautionary measures it can to ensure that safety.
