The Student Association has been discussing cutting the city portion of the Night Route due to low sponsorship from downtown businesses and low funding.Mississippi State vice president for student affairs Bill Kibler said the SA does not have enough funding to have the type of Night Route it originally aimed for.
“These [sponsors] are expecting students to be dropped off around their establishments but do not want to put forth the funding needed to keep the Night Route going,” he said.
SA President Jeremy Johnson said the SA wants to expand the Night Route as soon as more funding is acquired. Two of Johnson’s campaign promises were to expand the Night Route and to increase funding to go toward it.
“When I was running for office, I had a vague idea of [how much everything costs],” Johnson said. “When I got into office, I saw the actual amounts.”
One of the ways to increase Night Route funding is for the SA to seek additional downtown sponsors, Johnson said.
“Nobody is trying to take the Night Route away, we’re just trying to make sure we’re stopping at the right places and getting money from the right sponsors,” Johnson said.
W.C. McClendon, director of transportation and parking for the SA, said the organization is trying to make sure students have the opportunity to take the bus instead of putting themselves in danger and getting behind the wheel after a night on the town.
Local sponsors for the Night Route include Mugshots, Old Venice, Whiskey Blues, Doe’s Eat Place and State Theatre. Funding also comes from the SA budget and allotted funds given to the SA by the university.
McClendon said prices for the buses to run on a daily basis have increased since last year. Due to this change, instead of two buses running to and from campus, there is only one. “We decided to run one bus for the entire year, but we are trying to raise more money for a second bus for special weekends such as Bulldog Bash and homecoming weekend,” he said.
The amount of funding allotted to the Night Route has remained the same since it started running three years ago, Kibler said.
Johnson said relations between the SA and the MSU administration have nothing to do with the funding isssues the SA is facing.
“We have talked to different divisions [of the administration] about getting more money,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to get more money since we have an allotted amount [given to us already].”
The Night Route is a service the SA has been lucky to provide, McClendon said.
“Mississippi State is one of the few universities that offers the service of a Night Route,” he said. “It provides safe transportation to and from campus to different spots around town. It is a way for students to be able to enjoy the town of Starkville as college students.”
McClendon said the SA works extensively to attract donors from businesses, the Starkville community, individuals and other entities to raise the adequate funds for the shuttle service.
On a regular basis, the Night Route accommodates between 500 and 600 students per night.
Freshman electrical engineering major Alice Furr said the Night Route has helped her make it back to campus safely when she has been hanging out around Starkville.
“The Night Route is very convenient when I want to go out one night, but do not want to drive,” Furr said.
News Editor Erin Kourkounis contributed to this article.