ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz has accused the bus union executive who called for an immediate end to late-night bus service of doing so as a political ploy.
The service, which started last year because of concerns about the safety of a large number of freshmen forced to live off-campus, could be in jeopardy because of complaints from representatives of the bus driver’s union that drunken students are too unruly.
Amalgamated Transit Union executive Brian Pasquali complained that drunk students riding the bus on Friday and Saturday nights endanger drivers by talking loudly and drowning out the engine noise. After Pasquali made his declaration in mid-April, LTD spokesman Andy Vobora told the Register-Guard that late-night riders’ behavior required a “massive improvement” or the service would be cancelled.
Pasquali holds an elected position on the ATU Executive Board, but was appointed in September, he said. The position will be open to election at the end of May and Dotters-Katz said Pasquali’s stance on the issue is calculated to win him votes in the election.
Though Pasquali said he plans to run in the elections, he denied Dotters-Katz’s accusations.
“When I was the person who was appointed, no one else wanted it,” Pasquali said. “I’m in it for the brothers and sisters in the union.”
Pasquali said he does not know whether anyone else in the union plans to run against him. Dotters-Katz said the ATU has distanced itself from Pasquali’s position, and Vobora made similar claims in a phone message to Dotters-Katz.
“The union president actually brought a much better message to that meeting, saying that the union would want to work on the issue and they see it as an important issue and they kind of overruled the local business agent,” Vobora said in the message.
ATU President John Hunt did not return multiple phone messages.
In Wednesday’s ASUO Senate meeting, Dotters-Katz gave a withering assessment of Pasquali’s role in the incident. “Brian Pasquali, who I think is a little pipsqueak, is out of the picture at this point, which I think is a really good thing because we don’t want people playing games with people’s lives,” Dotters-Katz said.
Pasquali said Dotters-Katz’s accusing him of politicking was hypocritical.
“It sounds like he’s got some skeletons in his closet,” Pasquali said, and mentioned the 2008 ASUO election, when former ASUO Senate President Sara Hamilton was accused of soliciting votes for Dotters-Katz in residence halls.
Since Pasquali’s complaints, LTD has begun using a shorter bus for the route and stationing a security guard on it.
ASUO President-elect Emma Kallaway said she supports the late-night service and wants to “have a respectful relationship” with LTD. She said she would consider adding more security guards to next year’s contract, if necessary.
Kallaway said it is unfair for drivers to attribute drunken behavior to University students because community members can ride the bus. Student-riders may be out socializing, she said, or they may be returning from a night of studying at Knight Library.
ASUO to read to save bus
| – | Students will take to the late-night 79x bus Friday night dressed in suits and ties and holding sophisticated reading materials in an effort to save the bus. The local chief of the bus drivers’ union has called to end the route because of what he calls students’ unruly behavior. ASUO Chief-of-Staff Andrew Plambeck, who organized the event, said the behavior and dress code are attempts to disprove that characterization. “We’re just trying to be as respectful as possible,” he said. Plambeck said the bus serves more than 1,000 students each week. Students will board at the University bus stop on Kincaid Street across from Rennie’s Landing at 11 p.m. On the bus, Plambeck said the students will read quietly. |
Dotters-Katz said he has met with Vobora, representatives of the Office of Student Life and University Vice President for Student Affairs Robin Holmes, as well as Kallaway to discuss the issue since Pasquali made his case.
Vobora said that since Pasquali’s comments, the security guard on the bus has observed an improvement in student behavior.
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