When Suburban Express dropped 126 lawsuits Tuesday, University administrators had no involvement. It was entirely in the hands of passionate, dedicated students.

When University graduate student Jeremy Leval posted a Facebook status regarding an incident in which a bus driver allegedly made discriminatory remarks toward an international student, University administrators remained silent.

When Suburban Express lawsuits against passengers increased from 44 to 126 over the span of a few days, University administrators were mum.

And yet when students stood up to the bus company — spreading awareness on Reddit and Facebook and sending letters to The Daily Illini — resulting in modified terms of service and dropped lawsuits, University administrators once again had nothing to say.

However, the University’s Student Legal Services has offered some help. But because Suburban Express files its lawsuits in Ford County, students seeking representation from Student Legal Services can’t receive it: It can only provide free representation to students for cases filed in Champaign County.

In a Daily Illini article published April 19, Thomas Betz, student legal directing attorney at the University, said there was a significant number of students seeking help because of the fines they were hit with from the bus company.

Still, when there are multiple students pursuing legal services for the same problem, why is advising students to submit their complaints to the Illinois Attorney General the only thing the University can do?

Suburban Express became a problem, but why was nothing else done? Submitting a complaint to the attorney general can take time, if anything even happens with it, and in that time, it leaves the door open for more lawsuits.

When the number of students who have similar complaints increases to the point where it becomes salient to most of the campus community, the University should intervene.

Even the Illinois Student Senate has taken action. Student Body President Damani Bolden said at the ISS meeting last Wednesday that he was drafting a letter to Attorney General Lisa Madigan, asking for the problem to be recognized.

Only small University entities — ISS and Student Legal Services — have acknowledged the student outcry. Larger University entities, such as Student Affairs, have largely turned a blind eye to their students involved and to an irreverent bus company.

Ultimately, the University should be responsible for its students — especially when they are taken advantage of by a company that is so ingrained in this campus.

Even if Suburban Express dropped the lawsuits, the lack of acknowledgement by administrators during and after the incidences shows that students cannot always rely on the University.

The University has to step up and make an announcement acknowledging the problems that it has ignored. The University needs to reconsider its silence and its policies for legal intervention so that students can be fully represented in the case that a similar situation happens in the future.

Sometimes its left up to the students themselves to take action.