As many students know, parking on NDSU campus is sparse and expensive. Parking passes can add up quickly and that is only if you are able to find a spot that isn’t all the way over by the Fargodome. If you have walked around campus at all, you are aware that there are bus routes that will get you to and from where you need to be. What you may not know is that access to the bus is free for students and staff.
North Dakota’s bone-chilling gusts of wind it would be better met if these shelters were completely enclosed or more locations had heaters.
I have discussed, in a previous article, how the bus can be confusing when you are getting used to the many routes that are offered and trying to figure out the closest stop to your off-campus home, but with a quick study of the route map offered online or in the on-campus bus stop shelters you will find that it isn’t as hard as it seems. This being said, it is winter and winter in North Dakota means that it is cold. Bundling up to walk outside between classes is one thing, but standing on the corner waiting for your bus to show up is a whole other feat for tired college kids.
While waiting for the bus today, I began to wonder aloud. Why is it that only a few of the bus shelters heated? Why aren’t there more shelters off campus? And why don’t they all have doors to completely block the chilly wind?
Immediately a fellow bus rider, senior Clancy Carufel, responded to my rambling questions. “I completely agree,” Carufel said. “It’s nice that there are a couple shelters that are heated and I’m glad NDSU is finally realizing the negative effects that the cold has on students that take public transportation.”
As we continued our conversation while hopping on the bus with the rest of the students waiting she added: “There could be more shelters off campus and some that are more popular shelters could have heat.”
Carufel continued by stating, “I understand that there could be some issues with homeless people taking shelter in the heated hub or the price to keep the shelters heated being too high, but as long as they kept the heat and lockup schedules synced with the bus hours these problems could be easily diminished.”
The Matbus is a great cheap way to get to and from campus and the heated shelters were a wonderful addition to campus. Temperatures reach dangerously low levels in Fargo and those who live here are aware of that and should dress accordingly, but really, how much more could a couple doors and heaters cost? If we can boost the numbers for public transportation there wouldn’t be so many issues with on-campus parking.