Off-campus students could face challenges arriving to campus on Wednesday due to the victory parade for the World Series 2018 champions Boston Red Sox.
Assistant Director of Off-Campus Student Services Jeff Morris said off-campus students can expect to be affected by the busy public transport before and after the rally. Despite class suspensions for all classes from 10 a.m. through 2:30 p.m., classes that started before 10 a.m. and classes after 2:30 p.m. will proceed as scheduled. The parade will pass directly by campus on Boylston Street around noon or 1 p.m.
Michael Figueiredo, an off-campus student who lives at the 12 Hemenway residence hall, said all of his classes on Wednesday are canceled, but he is concerned about the safety of students who have classes after 2:30 p.m.
“It seems to me that it’s gonna be a horror show for off-campus students no matter what’s the time,” he said. “Drunk people on the T will probably just…go from a daytime parade to like spooky drunk Halloween hijinks. It’s prime gremlin hours.”
Morris said students should leave 15 to 20 minutes earlier to get to campus. He expressed confidence in the City of Boston’s post-rally clearance efficiency based on his experience from last year’s parade.
“[The office] will make announcements to people about the transportation update on our social media and The Daily Commute,” he said.
The Daily Commute is a blog written by the Community Ambassador team who are all living off campus.
Junior Katie Charlton, who lives in East Boston, said her commute normally takes 25 minutes but will leave earlier than normal for her 4 p.m. class.
“I honestly don’t think it’ll be a problem with the 2 p.m. classes,” she said. “I feel like maybe those should’ve been up to the professors’ discretion.”
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said more transit police will be present at key stations including the Boylston, Park Street, and Downtown Crossing stations to ensure the safety of riders.
To accommodate the crowd both for the parade and Halloween, the subway service will operate at rush-hour levels from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m., according to statement from the MBTA.
Students can visit the site MBTA.com/RedSox for information about the changed bus route and special schedule for Wednesday.
