Cutbacks and budget slashing continue to plague the Penn State community following the Centre Area Transportation Authority's (CATA) recent announcement that it will be cutting service by 2 percent for the 2003-2004 fiscal year.

According to CATA officials, the cuts would be centered on peak hours of the N/V express that shuttles students living in North Atherton Street apartment complexes to and from campus. The M route that runs to Nittany Mall and the RE express route between campus and Waupelani Drive, where many students also live, would also be hurt by the cutbacks.

The slashing is nothing new to CATA and students, as it marks the third straight year CATA has been forced to make service cuts.

The previous two years, CATA has cut service by 8 and 10 percent, respectively.

These latest cuts illustrate a growing problem. As Penn State continues to receive a swelling number of new students each year, more upperclassmen are forced to move out to areas far from campus such as Vairo Boulevard and Waupelani Drive in search of available housing. These students -- many of whom have no access to cars -- rely heavily on CATA to get to and from campus.

With a reduction, students now run a greater risk of missing a bus or not being allowed onto a bus because it's packed to capacity. An additional factor is the lack of parking on and near campus and the university's push to be car-free, which further enforces the need for students to use the bus.

The university -- the sole funding source behind CATA's campus Loop and Link buses -- needs to work more closely with the transportation authority to fix this grossly overlooked problem. Officials must make it clear to CATA that, without changes, Penn State students living far off campus will be greatly hurt by the continued cutbacks of these particular buses.

Why not cut back on Loop or Link service? The distance between East Halls and Pattee Library pales in comparison to a trip from The Pointe to the same destination.

CATA could also up the price of the bus passes offered to off-campus apartment dwellers. A small increase in the cost of a pass would probably be better for students than missing an exam.

To attract student renters, apartments could consider subsidizing CATA or beginning their own shuttle services, although the money for these will probably result in increased rents.

Penn State and CATA must put their collective heads together to address this dilemma. Otherwise, professors should begin preparing to hear the line, "Sorry, I missed the bus."