When a night out entails donning your newest pair of Steve Maddens, even at your campus bar, the trek is less than appealing. Maybe you’re not as high maintenance as I am and your attire selection involves grabbing your all-purpose tennies. I doubt anyone would disagree with me in claiming that the near-zero temperatures of February combined with the unreliable No. 16 bus discourage a vibrant campus nightlife. Nobody wants to come home with the imprint of a two-by-four on his face.

So here’s the problem that I’ve posed: How can you arrive fashionable, warm and safe at your destination? The answer is simple: taxi.

For a majority of students, however, this is not a feasible option. With paychecks going straight to tuition, disposable income is severely lacking and saving dollars for taxis is not a priority. We’re back at square one, but I wouldn’t lead you here only to tell you to get used to walking.

The MSA Express is a free curb-to-curb taxi service serving campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. Beginning tonight, it will run Fridays and Saturdays between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Just call 30 minutes in advance to guarantee timely service and look for the silver Plymouth Voyager. There’s one thing you need to know: 612-388-6911. Memorize this number. Better yet, take out your cell phone right now and enter it into your contacts under “MSA Express.” Don’t worry about the people sitting next to you waiting to do it in private – they’ll probably forget, and at least you know you’ll have a safe ride home.

Make sure someone with you has a U Card. It’s your ticket to ride, if you will. You could even volunteer to drive the van and receive community service hours.

It might seem that my argument is somewhat fallible in regards to the tundra-like weather premise. For those skeptical about the effectiveness of the spending of your student service fees, I’ll admit that the warmer Minneapolis days of spring persuade students to make the journey by foot. More students, however, imply higher noise levels, and relations between students and the community are tense enough. Ensuring that students are off the streets can help to ameliorate this situation.

So ride in style, and I’ll see you on the MSA Express.

Nathan Olson is a University student. Please send comments to [email protected].