Campus, News

SG approves vacation buses starting spring 2013

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Tiffany Lo, College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Cassandra Shavney, and College of Communication freshman Nia Davis raises a proposal about a BU vacation bus at the Student Government meeting Monday night. PHOTO BY KENSHIN OKUBO/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Student Government passed a motion at its meeting Monday night to approve a $775 budget for vacation buses that will shuttle students from Boston University to Logan International Airport.

Nineteen senators voted to pass the vacation buses motion, with eight senators opposed and two senators abstaining.

“The vast majority of people [students polled] were very supportive,” said Caitlin Seele, a School of Management junior and SG director of advocacy. “Most wanted to pay $8 to $10.”

Ninety-six percent of BU students polled said they would use a bus that left from a convenient on-campus location to travel to the airport if it cost a reasonable price, according to a November SG survey.

Seele said if more than 64 tickets are sold, SG would be able to raise enough money to pay for more buses.

“If it [the vacation bus service] becomes extremely popular, then we can start working toward making it entirely self-sustaining,” Seele said.

The vacation buses will run four times a year beginning with spring break 2013 and are planned to cost $9 a ticket, according to the proposal.

Some members of SG said the buses should be available to students at no charge.

“It’s great if the senators do want to subsidize it or anything like that,” Seele said. “We really do picture it being an on-going, four times a year [service].”

Dexter McCoy, SG president and College of Communication junior, said SG has enough money to afford the buses without charging students.

“We should just use it [SG funds] and give it [bus tickets] to people for free,” said McCoy.

SG officials said they hope to increase student participation in the Campaign for Boston University by promoting community service around campus. SG pledged to donate one million hours of community service to BU in September.

The BU Board of Trustees promised to donate $8 for each volunteer hour logged by BU students to honor the service as a donation toward the fundraising campaign, said Richa Kaul, SG executive staff to the SG president.

Kaul, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman, said SG plans to use advertising to show students they can log their community service hours to raise money for the Campaign for BU.

“We are, as a committee, trying to focus on ways to let all the students know how to log their hours,” Kaul said. “We’re looking at bus advertising and a poster outside Warren.”

Kaul said the Campaign for BU’s progress has slowed down since its public kickoff Sept. 22.

“It [the campaign] kind of fell off the face of the earth after the Celebration of BU for most people,” Kaul said.

SG is also looking at hosting a community service event to encourage students who might not usually do community service to get involved with the campaign, Kaul said.

“We figured that they don’t do it because it’s hard to get around and get off campus and they don’t have that much time,” she said.

Cherice Hunt, a COM junior and SG director of communication, said the Campaign for BU is very important to SG officials.

“This is the first time the university has launched such a huge campaign like this, so the students have to be a part of it,” she said.

Hunt said it is crucial for SG to promote the campaign because the money raised will be put toward research, admissions funding, academics and financial aid.

“If we’re trying to represent the student body, we should have a say in how this campaign is going to go through,” she said. “[SG should be involved in] the process, the final result, how the funding is going to work, all of these things.”

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