OUR OPINION: The University should not be responsible for providing transportationto places that are not academic, but if it does provide transportation to downtown, it should do it correctly.
The WolfProwl, aside from sounding like a low-budget horror film, is a bus line that will run from the Werewolf’s route to downtown Raleigh starting Feb. 19, Thursdays through Saturdays. Student Government thought of the idea in order to support downtown businesses and keep students safe and prevent them from drinking and driving.
Student fees have already been allocated to supply this service to the University, so Transportation is obligated to go through with the bus line, despite budget cuts. But the WolfProwl’s trial period is this semester, so if it is not satisfactory, the University does not have to continue with it.
We are glad the University is keeping students’ safety in mind and for trying to pump more money into downtown Raleigh’s night life, but should the University be responsible for student transportation to somewhere off-campus? Some say it is.
Whatever your thoughts are on whose responsibility it is to make sure students are safe during their night time endeavors, since WolfProwl is already planned to happen, we should give it a try. If students do take advantage of it, then the University should evaluate the cost-effectiveness of it.
The WolfProwl could be more useful if it visited student apartment complexes on and around Trailwood Drive also. This would cut the likelihood of drinking and driving, and the WolfProwl would get more use, which means keeping more people safe.
The Technician advocated for the WolfProwl in November, assuming the buses would also is it more apartment complexes and transport students from those complexes to downtown and back.
It is understandable why the University would want to have the WolfProwl and feel a need to keep students entertained and safe, but the fact is that going out at night is a luxury, not a necessity. So, take advantage while you can use this service, evaluate it and then decide whether or not it is worth keeping.
The WolfProwl is a good concept and Student Government had good intentions when creating it, but if it not used as much as expected, the funds should be used for something more vital, such as funding for clubs, in the coming semesters, especially with the continued budget cuts the state and the University is facing in the coming year.
Also, education should be the top priority at the University. Though the bus line was a good idea at the time when it was planned, times have changed and pools of funds are running dry.
If it comes down to the wire, we hope the University will be wise and cut the WolfProwl, and other unnecessary programs and projects, before cutting classes and faculty members.
