As the tension between Quinnipiac University and its host town of Hamden intensifies, Quinnipiac officials made the decision to divert shuttles from Hamden and send them to North Haven.
The formerly named “Hamden Shuttle” that delivers students on the Mount Carmel campus to the Hamden Plaza area is now heading to North Haven. As Hamden Mayor Curt Leng calls it a “petty gesture” by Quinnipiac, the University attributes the change to a growing presence in North Haven.
Following the decision, the university has released this statement from Lynn Bushnell, Vice President for Public Affairs:
“The shuttle bus routes were changed because of Quinnipiac’s growing presence in North Haven, where five of our eight schools are now located,” said Bushnell. “Having invested nearly $300 million in building the North Haven Campus since 2007, Quinnipiac believes most, if not all, of its future growth will occur in North Haven. The revised shuttle routes reflect the university’s move in that direction and desire to provide what we believe is a wider variety of retail, restaurant and entertainment options for our students.”
According to Dale Kroop, Director of Economic and Community Development for Hamden, the revision in the schedule will hurt Hamden businesses. Kroop went on to say when handling situations involving Quinnipiac and Hamden, it’s hard to ignore “the elephant in the room.”
