Campus2Home shuttle service now begins earlier and ends later to accommodate students whose activities put them on campus after dark. Starting Monday, the shuttle began nightly service at 6 p.m. and made its last trip at 4 a.m. Prior to the change, the hours were 7 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

The robbery of two undergraduate students on the Greenway Walkway, the path connecting the bridge over Forest Park Parkway to Melville Ave., has led the University to expand Campus2Home shuttle service hours to near sunrise. Effective immediately, the shuttle will operate from 7 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. from the Mallinckrodt Center and Brookings Drive stops. [...]

Early Monday morning, one of our fellow students was raped on her way home from campus. A crime of this severity does not occur often within our seemingly secure Wash. U. bubble, making the University’s response all the more important. However, Washington University delivered a seemingly rushed message that failed in its responsibilities.

Following the rape and robbery of a female undergraduate leaving campus, the University has expanded its door-to-door shuttle service for students living in off-campus housing.

Although the decision to expand Campus2Home was made at the same time that the University chose to send out a campus-wide alert, that e-mail did not include a reference to the expanded service.

Off-campus safety has been at the forefront of students’ minds this year. With a jump in crime last spring and the recent violent attack on a graduate student, students have appropriately questioned the safety surrounding their off-campus living quarters.

In an effort to improve safety off campus and alleviate students’ fears about walking home at night, Washington University instituted a one-way shuttle service for students and staff who want a safe ride home. “Over the years we’ve had occasional requests from students for a late-night shuttle home, but we’ve never done it,” Associate Vice Chancellor for Operations Steve Hoffner said.