Dickinson may not be a Division I sports school, but Student Senate introduced an initiative this fall to help students bring their school spirit to sporting events. The pilot period for the shuttle service came to an end with the conclusion of the men’s and women’s soccer seasons, and Senate is reviewing turnout and reception as they decide whether or not to continue the program.

The idea for a shuttle service was conceived due to a post on Buzzocracy, Dickinson’s online initiatives and feedback tracker. Senate decided on a pilot program to test the shuttles and gauge student reception.

“We looked at which games were being played at Dickinson Park and chose to do four Saturdays as a preliminary test run,” said Emily Pryor ’14, the Senate vice president for student life who oversees projects and initiatives such as the shuttles.

The trial period began on Oct. 5, when the Women’s soccer played Bryn Mawr and continued until the Men’s and Women’s teams ended their season. Pryor reviewed student turnout during a Nov. 13 meeting with DPS.

“We found that a little over a dozen Dickinsonians utilized the Sports Shuttle during this trial period,” said Pryor. “While the shuttle isn’t run at great expense to us, the low usage numbers do give us some pause. Before deciding on whether to continue the shuttles, we will look at different strategies for expanding access to and awareness of the service, keeping in mind our broader goals of increasing school spirit and the sense of community on campus.”

In addition to the soccer shuttles, Senate also scheduled a fan bus to a football game at Gettysburg on Nov. 9. However, the bus was cancelled due to a lack of student interest.

“We did not hear from the appropriate number of students to justify the expense of providing the bus to Gettysburg,” said Pryor. “We hope to be able to offer similar services in the future, given more robust interest from our peers.”

Despite the low initial interest, some students expressed interest in using it for future sporting events.

“It seems like a really great and convenient way to get to sports games and create a way to show our school spirit,” explained Aina Zaniewski ’17. “I definitely plan on using it in the future to possibly watch some lacrosse games.”

Others agree with Zaniewski, as these shuttles are a great opportunity to support Dickinson athletes.

“I definitely plan on using the shuttle to go see away games or games at the park,” explained Andrew Long ’17. “I know from experience that having fans during a sporting event makes everything more exciting so I would like to support more of our sports teams by going to some away games.”

Students with questions or comments regarding the shuttle service can contact Pryor at [email protected] or voice their opinions at a Senate meeting, which are held on Tuesdays at 6 pm in Denny 317.