The sound of the horn and the friendly wave from the driver are familiar to many students on campus. The daily greetings come from the bus that serves as the transportation link between St. Olaf and Carleton, shuttling students to and from Carleton as well as to various places in downtown Northfield. Recently, there has been serious debate among students and administration as to what specific places the St. Olaf-sponsored bus can transport its students.

The tide turned last spring. In March, the bus, commonly known among students as Tom's bus or the "love" bus, transported St. Olaf students to an event held at the Northfield branch of the American Legion. At the event, several students were cited by the Northfield Police for underage drinking. The incident became widely known among the St. Olaf community and for the first time the question of the purpose of the bus was brought into play and the result of the current debate.

The bus' main route travels along Division Street and usually stops anywhere that a passenger requests. Most often, however, its route includes stops at Econo Foods, Blue Monday, the movie theater, and Carleton among others.

Where the route becomes hazy is to places where alcohol is served. "The biggest problem on campus concerning the bus is that there is no set schedule. Students are unaware of where the bus stops and when," said Dave Marotz, SGA treasurer. What would be officially eliminated from the route are places where the primary function or event is alcohol (i.e. the liquor store, the Contended Cow, the L&M). This would not rule out places such as the Grand where the primary function is to dance, nor would it rule out places such as the Rueb where eating is one of the main events.

"By allowing the bus to stop at places where the main event is alcohol puts the school at risk with the law. The school can be sued and that is just something no one wants to deal with," stated Marotz.

There has yet to be concrete changes made or policies implanted regarding the route of the bus. "I don't think we [the administration] are deviating at all or creating a new policy. This isn't so much of a change," said Pamela Mannebach, interim director of residence life. "We are just better explaining what the original intent has always been. The bus' function was never to go to places where selling alcohol was the primary function of the establishment."

According to Marotz, what will happen will be set locations where the bus can stop. For example, the route may include a stop at Hogan Brothers followed by a stop outside the Archer House (within walking distance of the Cow). Another part of the solution that SGA will be working on is to create cards similar to the RICH campaign cards. Written up on the cards will be information about SGA and SADD as well as numbers to taxi cab companies along with coupons for discounts on cab rides. These changes will hopefully be implanted second semester.