Ensuring the future of the Night Route was one of the main points of SA President Braxton Coombs’ running platform. We commend him for taking the initiative to make something so beneficial happen this early in the year.
Last year’s Night Route, which ran through campus, downtown Starkville and various apartment complexes, was going downhill, and the SA didn’t seem to be doing much about it. It received cuts due to a lack of sponsorship by local businesses and it never seemed to stop very frequently.
It seems that this year’s SA has accomplished more over the summer than last year’s SA did in an entire year.
In two months alone, the SA, along with MSU student affairs, the Starkville Board of Aldermen and sponsoring businesses increased funding for the Night Route from $17,000 to $79,000. This made it possible to expand the route and increase the number of pick-up and drop-off locations, regardless of how many businesses are actually sponsoring it.
Also, public relations will be at the forefront of the SA’s campaign for the Night Route, which is bound to recruit more sponsors.
In addition, the shuttles will be transporting people earlier and later than before. Two shuttles run from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Thursdays and 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, stopping every 15 minutes. Students can catch the Night Route to their favorite downtown hangouts and ride it back when they’re ready to go home.
We say the Night Route is an excellent concept, especially since many students are tempted to drink and drive after a night out on the town. It keeps them off the streets and out from behind the wheel.
Another of Coombs’ goals for the SA was to unite the city and university into a team that works together more often. The Night Route has already started to bridge the divide between the two, and we believe it will encourage students to become involved in city affairs.
The SA receiving funding for the Night Route signifies the importance of student involvement on campus and in Starkville. It shows how a passionate team of students, however small, can be successful to the point of bringing significant policy changes.
Part of the reason students have the chance to take advantage of the luxury of the Night Route is the 2-percent food and beverage tax they pay in Starkville restaurants. Twenty percent of this tax goes to MSU student affairs.
As long as we’re paying this tax, our money spent will come back to us in the form of the Night Route. But the 2-percent tax isn’t permanent. The next Board of Aldermen election is key, whether you are for the tax or not. Get involved by researching your aldermen and registering to vote in the May and June municipal elections.
We’re confident that we’ll be seeing a lot more action from the SA this year than we have in quite a while, and we’re excited to see what they’ll accomplish.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Matt Watson, news editor Carl Smith, assistant news editor Sarah Dale Simpkins, sports editor Brandon Wright, entertainment editor Kyle Wrather, photo editor Bud Sorey, copy editor Josh Starr, online editor Adam Kazery, managing editor David Breland and editor in chief Erin Kourkounis.