Walking the line
The need for a shuttle from main campus to Broad Street

February 14, 2007

The benefits that the city of Philadelphia provides for its college students are almost innumerable. There are jobs, internships, cultural experiences, opportunities for field work, volunteerism and civic engagement, just to name a few. These chances are right under our fingertips at La Salle, and yet we also have the benefit of a campus community that is secluded from the hustle and bustle of city living, with trees, grass, benches and several common gathering areas.

Proximity to the city is something the University stresses to prospective students. The Undergraduate Admission Web site dedicates a section to the benefits of living in Philadelphia. Student tour guides are trained to include six key messages in their campus tours, one of which regards student life in Philadelphia. The tour guides’ handbook states that while on tour, guides “should also include how you and your friends use Philadelphia. La Salle wouldn’t be La Salle without Philly.”

SEPTA’s Broad Street subway line is conveniently located at Broad Street and Olney Avenue, just a few blocks from campus. The walk is fairly short, but it is not considered safe, and Director of Security Arthur Grover advises students against making the trip on foot. Instead, he urges students to “avail themselves of the shuttle and escort system.” With the security measures that are in place at La Salle, no student should ever need to walk from campus to Broad and Olney. The shuttle stops at that corner four times every hour until 10 p.m. and twice an hour after that until 2 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on weekends. Security escorts are available 24 hours a day for students who need transportation to the subway station or back to campus when the shuttle is no longer running. Technically, escorts are also available while the shuttle is running, but in order to use Security’s limited resources most effectively, students will often be told to wait for the shuttle.

Grover and Associate Director of Security Denny Graeber both realize that this can be an inconvenience for students.

“A child would rather have a driver because the Jeep goes directly to their destination,” said Graeber, who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the shuttle and the escort vehicles. “The shuttle is a less attractive option to students.”

“Students do not like to wait,” Grover said. “We have limited resources—we are able to send escorts but we look very carefully at the scheduling. We ask students to try to be patient and appreciate that we try to be timely. I view the shuttles as a safety initiative, but students see them as a transportation initiative.”

Both Graeber and Grover make valid points. According to Security’s statistics, 125,000 people were transported on the shuttle and 55,000 personal escorts were given in the last year. Of these, none were victims of any crime while in Security’s charge. However, a number of people were victimized while walking to the transportation hub. Indeed, when it comes to safety, Security’s efforts are commendable. On paper, the resources in place should prevent students from ever needing to walk to the subway, but in practice, the system requires work. The shuttle is unreliable at best. Shuttle drivers are instructed to stay on schedule, but weather and traffic often cause tie-ups. These delays may sometimes be unpreventable, but it is the norm rather than an occasional occurance for the shuttle to be running late. College students are not the most patient users, but catching the shuttle 10 minutes late means catching the train 10 minutes late. Any professor would find it unacceptable for students to show up for class 10 minutes late, even if the delay is beyond their control. It’s similarly unacceptable for students to be consistently late for their trains.

Grover cites the shuttle driver positions as the most difficult ones for Security to fill. Potential hires are required to have a clean, drug-free background, prior security or police experience and a Pennsylvania Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training card, which proves the officer has been trained in things such as arrest laws and the crimes code and is allowed to carry a lethal weapon. Within 90 days of their hire, new officers must obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), which allows them to drive the shuttles. A new hire who fails to get a CDL is let go.

All of these requirements seem reasonable for someone who is employed to ensure the safety of the students, faculty and staff of La Salle. It would also seem, however, that permission to carry a lethal weapon is an extraordinary requirement to transport students to and from the subway. Perhaps the problem is not that Security does too little to protect Lasallians, but instead that the responsibility for the transportation of students should not lie solely on Security. Another division could be responsible for drivers who have a CDL but not a security or police background. Anyone with a clean driving background and a La Salle van license can drive a 15-passenger van. There are sure to be people who are very qualified to transport students in a timelier manner who would not be qualified to be Security officers.

The walk from campus to Broad and Olney is a dangerous but important walk. Security should be able to continue to allocate their resources to protect our campus community. Students should continue to be encouraged to take advantage of all that the city of Philadelphia has to offer. The University should recognize that the convenience of the students is important, even if it ceases to be Security’s responsibility. Students frequently admit to avoiding traveling into the city because of the difficulty of getting there, something La Salle needs to work on changing. More reliable transportation to Broad and Olney could provide the safety and the convenience that students deserve.