By Chelsea Royal, Columnist
As college students, we spend five consecutive days a week studying, meeting with teachers, attending classes and stressing over assignments. So when Friday rolls around, we are ready to kick back and start the weekend festivities. Many people especially prefer some type of off-campus retreat, whether it’s going home for the weekend, visiting friends at a different school or even spending a couple of hours shopping at the mall. Hofstra offers several weekend activities for those who decide to stay on campus. Students have the chance to travel off campus to amusement parks, Broadway shows and museums in the city. The downside to these opportunities is the cost of the events on a tight college student budget.
Another downside is that the campus shuttle, the Blue Beetle, only drives to specific destinations at very specific times. There are many students, myself included, who finish classes on Thursdays. When I decide to leave Hofstra for the weekend, I usually don’t want to travel on a Friday, because many others are rushing to do the same thing. I have to rely on a shuttle system that limits its trips, making the travel much more of a bother.
The Blue Beetle schedule also affects some students that have cars on campus. Parking is limited and filling up the tank becomes costly.
Therefore, students with and without cars look to the campus shuttle to get us to where need to go. Otherwise, those of us without cars must rely on friends to do us the favors of driving us and must base our trip around their schedules and convenience. It is frustrating having to spend an additional day on campus because no free transportation is readily available.
Because many students are at a disadvantage due to the restricted transportation, Hofstra should try to make accommodations. The Blue Beetle should make more frequent trips to the train station on Fridays and into Saturdays.
In addition, transportation to the train station should be available during the week, even if it is not as often as the weekend schedule. It could make two trips a day from Monday through Friday so students can get their shopping done during the week. It should also include a stop at the Mineola train station so students do not have to inconveniently pay for a taxi, which are many times late for pick-ups.
Hofstra portrays its shuttle system as a beneficial feature for the University, but it needs to live up to the expectations and needs of campus members.