Students may need to find an alternative form of transportation next semester as the college decides whether or not to continue to provide the Gael Express shuttle now that there will no longer be students living in the Residence Inn after the spring 2013 semester.

The Gael Express began as a pilot program about a year ago providing free shuttle service for Iona students from the main campus to the New Rochelle train station, the Residence Inn and, last year, the Avalon apartments.

Because the college does not project any students living in the Residence Inn next semester and due to financial concerns, the budget for the next academic year does not allow for continuation of the Gael Express shuttle service.

“The main thing I have to say is that it was not by any means cut because of a lack of usage, or even disinterest in it by administration- in fact, they fully support the shuttle,” junior and Student Government Association President Jaclyn Shearer wrote in an email. “The simple fact is that it is a huge expense and one that didn’t work into our budget at this time.”

Yet, many students expressed concern over the discontinuation of the Gael Express service at the final SGA meeting of the fall semester when the topic was brought to the legislature.

Due to the amount of student interest expressed in maintaining the Gael Express, Shearer and Vice President of Finance, junior Matthew Weeks, have engaged in conversation with President Joseph Nyre and Vice Provost for Student Life Charlie Carlson.

Carlson could not be reached for comment prior to deadline.

“One interesting find was that shuttle usage did not decrease significantly when the number of students living in the Marriott was reduced,” Shearer said.

Despite the reduction of students from the Residence Inn, many students, and even some faculty and staff, continue to use the Gael Express as a way to get from Iona to the New Rochelle train station where many commuter students are traveling to campus and many resident students are traveling to New York City for internships.

Laura Furlipa, junior Public Relations major, uses the Gael Express at least two days per week as a means to get to and from the train station for her New York City based internship.

“The Gael express is a huge convenience for me because it provides me transportation to the train station for free,” Furlipa said, explaining that the Gael Express has been a valuable asset for many students.

Shearer explains that while she understands the demand for continued shuttle service, it is not financially possible for the school to continue to fund it.

“To understand the issue, you need to first understand that if we want the shuttle, we have to find a way to pay for it ourselves,” she said. “Our strongest options are a fee that all students will have to pay along with our other fees at the beginning of the year or trying to work out a shuttle pass system. There are many problems with each, so we still aren’t sure what the best route is.”

The primary problem with a fee, Shearer said, is that students who may take advantage of the free shuttle service would still have to pay, essentially making it a part of tuition costs.

Senior Kyle Hanko, an off campus student, admits that he never uses the Gael Express. When asked, hypothetically, how he would feel if a student fee was added to cover the Gael Express, he said “It just wouldn’t make sense for off campus students to come all the way to the center of campus from their houses—they’re better off just calling a taxi and paying for that instead.”

Still, Shearer explains that SGA recognizes the great number of the student body, especially resident students, who rely on the Gael Express and vows that SGA along with the college administration are still looking at other options.

“We’re gathering feedback from students, especially our legislature,” she said. “By the end of this week we hope to have a proposal drafted detailing our plan for paying for the shuttle.”