Last Friday and Saturday, Lobo Village officials barred the Party Trolley from entering its gates to pick up customers who had made a reservation for transportation from Lobo Village.
Party Trolley’s founder Paul Aitken said he was driving the bus on Saturday night when a security guard told him he could not enter the facility.
“I told him ‘I am turning around.’ I told him, ‘I’m sorry there was a problem.’” Aitken said. “And I guess the night manager, who was a lady, said that they don’t want to promote drinking at Lobo Village.”
Aitken said property manager Brent McPherson said, in an email and in person, that at the end of the spring semester the Party Trolley could do business at Lobo Village, but Lobo Village did not want to officially associate with the ride service.
“If you’re (drinking) at Lobo Village and I can’t pick you up at Lobo Village there is no cheap, safe, fun way to go downtown or to Nob Hill or to a party,” Aitken said.
The Daily Lobo contacted Lobo Village for comment on the incident, but office staff said it was against policy for Lobo Village to talk to the media and directed the reporter to American Campus Communities’ (ACC) corporate office. The corporate media contact did not return multiple phone calls as of Thursday afternoon. Aitken said UNM has not given him trouble about doing business on campus, and he will have the bus in front of the SUB on Monday, Thursday and Friday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Walter Miller, the Associate Vice President for Student Life, said there is a committee meeting to find out whether Lobo Village is able to decide if the Party Trolley can enter.
“It’s been a discussion because of the main campus dorms,” Miller said. “I would hope by the end of next week we should have something concrete. We’ll be talking to the management committee which is made up of University and ACC people.”
ACC rents from UNM’s lot on where Lobo Village is built. When the new ACC dorms on main campus are finished, Miller said they will be subject to University procedures and policies, and no alcohol will be allowed.
John Steiner, the director of Campus Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, said DWI is too large a problem among college students to not give them as many ways as possible to get home without drinking and driving.
“I think it’s a shame that ACC turned them around,” Steiner said. “From what I know about it they are in business to help people get home safely who have made the decision to drink. At least they aren’t driving cars, and they’ve done something to avoid that.”
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