Hybrid bendy buses and GPS Transloc services make traveling around campus easier than ever. Just 20 years ago, however, bus transportation was not as convenient nor safe as it is today.
In a front page article published in The Chronicle on Feb. 3, 1993, the University Safety Task Force issued a final bus report on a fatal bus accident that occurred during the fall semester. The report, which was delivered by former University President Keith Brodie, affirmed that a “defectively designed rear door” caused the death of a Trinity freshman, who fell from the rear door as the bus turned from Trent Drive onto Erwin Road. In response, the University replaced the rear doors in all of its General Motors Corp. RTS buses, which cost an estimated $16,000 per bus. These efforts came in tandem with Washington D.C, where transit officials were also modifying their fleet of GM-RTS buses. The tragedy also prompted campus officials to increase bus safety. Some recommendations included hiring a full-time transit inspector to monitor buses, training and evaluating current bus drivers and monitoring ridership to patterns on a regular basis.
In another article published on the same date, the Duke Computer Science department began major revisions. In an effort to improve the program’s standing, Jeffrey Vitter, former computer science department chair, proposed plans to change both the graduate and undergraduate programs so that all students, even those interested in liberal arts, would use computer science as a method of problem solving. These proposals, if successful, hoped to increase the overall number of computer science majors. Another major change in the department was the purchase of a new supercomputer called the CM-5 parallel processor. The new computer was purchased to be involved in areas of research and visibility for the department.
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