Boston shuttle nice, but no solution to Tufts' sagging social scene

Though a welcome option for night owls, the new weekend shuttle service to Boston will do little to fix the increasingly problematic on-campus social scene. In a campus-wide e-mail yesterday, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate cited student complaints about social life as part of the impetus behind the project.

The past few semesters have seen fewer and fewer large-scale parties, more stringent police action, and a noose placed around the necks of Greek houses. In the meantime, the University has done little to replace the previous social options with something else. As frustrated students head more and more to off-campus houses, administrators have come up against increasingly irate neighbors and city officials.

Clearly, anything that encourages students to take their late night activities away from campus will help alleviate some of these concerns. The shuttle -- funded 50 percent by the Dean of Students' office -- is a noble attempt by the administration to finally put its money where its mouth is and give students some alternatives. While mass-transit options do exist, they are not an overly attractive option for Tufts students. The T closes early, and the night owl bus is cumbersome to use if one is not returning from Government Center. Taxis are notoriously expensive, and the limited zip-car options require advanced planning and a sober driver.

So for those who go out into Boston at night, the shuttle will likely be an appreciated relief from the hassle and expense of getting home. And since the bus makes it easy to leave cars behind, the project should reduce the chance of a student driving while intoxicated. But its impact on the social scene is not likely to be significant. Nightlife in Boston is almost exclusively a 21 and over affair. Bouncers card everyone, and even the highest-quality fake ID is routinely refused. Only about a half-dozen venues accessible by the shuttle allow under-21s on certain nights.

Since the majority of Tufts students are not yet of age, the shuttle will not be of much use to them. No doubt many students who previously drove into downtown will opt for the bus. But in terms of increasing the total number of students who leave campus at night, the shuttle is unlikely to do much. Many are able to go downtown, but for whatever reason they frequently choose not to do so. The expense of a night out in Boston is a likely factor. At best, a few more students -- previously hindered by the difficult transportation situation -- will trek downtown.

In the meantime, the rest will party back on the hill. Revelers will still avail themselves to the nearest bush when nature calls, noisy students will continue to irk residents, and beer cans will still line the streets Sunday morning.

Even so, the shuttle represents the first signs that the administration is willing to fund improvements to the ailing social scene. But more efforts to bolster on-campus social life are desperately needed if there is any hope of replacing the previous offerings, and alleviating the stresses being caused by the status quo. If successful, these steps will improve the quality of life not only for Tufts students, but the local residents with whom we share the community.