ASST. NEWS EDITOR
KYLE HAYES
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
LYZ MANCINI

Since the Nov. 1 issue of the Cardinal Courier was published, new developments have arisen involving the Saddle Ridge shuttle with respect to the University of Rochester (U of R) and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

In late October, Saddle Ridge restricted use of its Thursday night shuttle to persons 21 and older for Fisher students only. This restriction did not apply to other local colleges at that time.

After the events that occurred at Fisher, administrators at U of R and RIT took similar actions regarding the shuttle’s operation.

Concerns that St. John Fisher College Dean of Students Dr. Rick DeJesus had about the shuttle were also shared by U of R and RIT administrators.

“The University of Rochester has many of the same concerns about Saddle Ridge as those, which have been expressed by members of your institution (St. John Fisher College),” Matthew Burns, associate dean of students at U of R said.

Issues surrounding campus security and the safety of students on campus were also shared by both institutions.

RIT has been in contact with Saddle Ridge and asked that the operation of the shuttle from RIT be stopped immediately.

“For us, this is an issue of safety for our students. Our decision was made in conjunction with our department of Campus Safety and others on campus,” Heath Boice-Pardee, associate vice president of student affairs at RIT, said.

U of R made the decision to act upon the same concerns of underage drinking that were shared by both Fisher and RIT.

“There have been allegations and cases of the establishment’s lack of attention to underage drinking and that the bar has been targeting students of area colleges without regard to age,” Burns said. “We have not been impressed by the general actions of the establishment, and we prefer not to patronize them as a result.”

Students from U of R and RIT share many of the same reactions to the banning of the shuttle as those from Fisher. A major concern that was shared by students of all three campuses was drinking and driving.

“RIT should approve of it because people drink anyway, and it’s better than having them drink and drive. Things happened slowly at RIT and RIT probably heard Fisher didn’t approve of it and decided that they didn’t either,” RIT junior Kelly DeCaro said.

Some U of R students have questioned why the Saddle Ridge shuttle is being targeted rather than other buses that run on campus.

“We already have buses that run for senior nights to prevent students from drinking and driving, which are on Thursdays also. Students are going to go to other places on Thursday nights, so why not help keep them safe?” U of R junior Brittany Vena said.

John Dawsey, general manager of Saddle Ridge Rockin’ Country Saloon, could not be reached for comment. Dawsey told the Cardinal Courier in the Nov. 1 edition, “I will probably stop the bus completely very soon.”

Email addresses:
krh05234@sjfc.edu
ecm6355@sjfc.edu