By By Julia Matias
In order to improve student safety while walking back to campus from local bars, the University’s Student Government Association may advocate expanding the Blue Beetle’s route.
If the proposal, which is in its inceptive stages, is approved, SGA members hope that scheduling will allow the Blue Beetle to reach the bars at “last call,” the time when bars are closing and most students are leaving.
Drunk driving and hit-and-runs on Hempstead Turnpike are reasons for concern as increasing numbers of students frequent bars on both weekends and weeknights.
“There’s always the threat of students walking back and crossing Hempstead Turnpike and it’s very dangerous,” Grant Parker, senior political science major and vice-president of SGA, said. “We would like to avoid that and also provide a safe means of transportation home for people, especially since Hempstead is not the best area.”
“It would reverse the chances of students getting hurt and having them walk back to campus alone and possibly having someone already drunk drive them back,” Sarah Gottheim, a junior business management major, said. “Buses have done it before and it’s better for the students because if they don’t, there’s more of a risk of students getting hurt.”
Not all students are enthusiastic about the idea, however. Some worry that providing transportation from bars for University students – the majority of whom are under 21 – is a subtle way of condoning underage drinking.
“I, personally, as a non-drinker, feel sad we would have to go to that level to keep students safe on Hempstead Turnpike,” Jessie Coviello, freshman creative writing and fine arts major, said. “But I feel like it’s a good idea because Hempstead Turnpike is a very dangerous place, drunk or not, to drive on.”
Coviello added that the new route would only increase an already flourishing drinking trend on campus.
“Our drinking population is so high that a college-funded bus has to pick them up after a night of drinking,” he added “It’s sort of like we’re not encouraging drinking, but we’re allowing it.”
Rob Verderosa, a University alum and owner of McHebe’s, said patron safety along the turnpike is one of his major concerns and is the main reason why he staffs such tight security.
He added that the Blue Beetle proposition would help ease some of his concerns.
“They used to do it, have the bus go up and down and make sure no one was walking around, but I think they [the administration] stopped it because they didn’t want to condone kids going to the bars.”
Matt Proffitt, a sophomore film studies and production major, doubts the proposal will go through.
“It’s a good idea [but] I don’t think it’s going to work out because the school is not going to charter a bus to pick up underage students drinking at bars,” he said. “The school wouldn’t want to be associated with that.”
Parker stressed that what is most important is student safety.
“The reality is, it’s college. Students will drink. It’s unstoppable, so we might as well take the appropriate action and make all Hofstra students safe,” he said.
In an effort to keep University students safe on and off-campus, SGA has created an executive commission on safety to propose ways in which the University can improve. The commission will present its report to Parker and the SGA President Benjamin Solis.
“Public safety and the administration are trying to keep students safe,” Parker noted. “But a lot of times they don’t know where students are going, what’s going on in the buildings, because they’re not students and they can’t know. So we’re doing our best to help them and help the student body improve safety issues.”
The Student Government Association may soon support a proposal to alter the Blue Beetle’s schedule and route, allowing it to drive by bars on Hempstead Turnpike near last call time. (Harry Tanielyan/The Chronicle)