Southern Adventist University’s Transportation Services has begun a shuttle service for students this semester to alleviate a parking problem on campus, said Dennis Negrón, vice president for Student Development, in an interview with the Accent.
“[University leaders] started talking about this shuttle way back in May,” Negrón said. “We knew that if enrollment increased any more than it was last year, then we’d have a parking problem on campus. … We are essentially encouraging students to keep their cars at Southern Village and at Spalding Cove. We’re saying, ‘We’re going to help you out by shuttling you to and fro.’”
On the shuttles’ first day of operation, Monday, Aug. 21, only 23 people took advantage of the service, said Negrón. However, he believes the number of passengers was low because the university did not publicize the service well.
“If the numbers stay at day one’s numbers, [the shuttle service] would be discontinued,” Negrón said. “The students need to show us that a shuttle is worth the effort and the expense. It looks to me like Southern Village appreciates it, but we were thinking about Spalding Cove … and Laumere Court. If those are the groups that take advantage of it, then it’ll be something we keep. We’re going to evaluate it in December.”
Negrón said students living in Spalding Cove, specifically, are worried about the Wolftever Creek Greenway walking underpass that runs below the train tracks between campus and Spalding Cove. The underpass has not been repaired since the train derailment in December, so students who want to walk to campus have to walk across the train tracks. Students living in Spalding Cove are also concerned about traffic, said Negrón.
The shuttle service hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays, according to Stephanie Busby, office manager for Transportation Services. These hours could change depending on demand, Negrón said. Busby wrote in an email to the Accent that a van and minibus, beginning at opposite ends of the shuttle route, run until 1 p.m. After that time, only one van runs the route.
The shuttles stop at Spalding Cove, behind Brock Hall, the AdventHealth Hall parking lot, the Summerour Hall crosswalk, the Hickman Science Center parking lot, Southern Village and the university’s recently purchased Laumere Court apartments, according to Negrón and Busby. Details about the Laumere Court apartments can be found in a previous Accent article. Negrón said the shuttle arrives at each designated stop every 10-15 minutes. There should be shuttle signs at each stop.
Students may ask the shuttle drivers to stop at the University Health Center (UHC) as well, and the shuttle drivers have radios the UHC staff may call to request transport, Negrón said.
“[The UHC stop] will be especially helpful for students needing assistance to and from their residence to Healthcare provided by the health center, ” Busby wrote.
Currently, three employees drive the shuttles, according to Busby. A certified bus driver drives the bus. Two other employees, one being a student, drive the vans.
