Photo courtesy of Steve Oswiecimski

Students who have taken the night shuttle after a long night of studying, home from a night out at Catch or simply just to grab a bite to eat from Dutch Treats likely have ridden with Steve Oswiecimski. A bus driver at Hofstra for around 8 years, Oswiecimski has interacted with members of the Hofstra community who come from all walks of life.

“I tell my family members about students, who I’ve always had nothing but positive experiences with,” Oswiecimski remarked. “Even when I sometimes drive the train shuttle, I’ll meet professors and administrators, and they’re also very nice. It’s always nice to see alumni and hear how they’re doing.”

As a constant presence connecting Hofstra’s campus with the surrounding streets, Oswiecimski gets to make meaningful connections with students and watch them grow over their time here. Whether it’s a midterm, project or cultural event, Oswiecimski hears from the students about their lives, just as a friend or family member would. “You meet people from all over the world, and it’s fantastic to meet all these different people, and [understand] how everybody gets along and fits together,” Oswiecimski said. “They have their clubs and different outings. It’s always good.”

Like every other department and service at Hofstra, transportation has become a bit different because of COVID-19. With mask wearing and physical distancing in place, the night shuttle became much less intimate than it once was.

“[The students] didn’t want to contract COVID, with some students having to go into quarantine,” Oswiecimski said. “I know it was a hard time for a lot of students, and a lot of them felt they lost their college experience. I definitely understood it completely. And now some of them are graduating, but it was hard on everybody.”

Compared to most other people at Hofstra, and in the larger workforce for that matter, Oswiecimski works a rather unconventional schedule. His job as a night shuttle driver requires him to be awake when many people are asleep and vice versa, but he is certainly up to the task.

“I’ve had one student tell me that I’m like a cat,” Oswiecimski remarked. “I sleep all day and I’m up all night. That’s one of the best analogies I’ve heard. Also, I work the 9-to-5, but I throw everybody off. I want the opposite 9-to-5, from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. I can listen to the traffic and see everyone going to work, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m home now.’ It’s an adjustment, but once you get accustomed to it, it’s not a problem working nights.”

Since becoming a member of the Hofstra community, Oswiecimski has been known to frequent the theater productions and sporting events on campus, often running into current and former students.

“I went to see ‘The Revolutionists,’ and I thought it was fantastic,” Oswiecimski said. “The singing was great, and the acting was phenomenal too. They’re going to be putting on a Neil Simon play very soon, and I’m going to attend that as well. I have a lot of positive memories with all the present and past teams involved with the school, [such as] tennis and the women’s and men’s basketball teams. I’ve met a lot of people from all these different walks of life, and they’re very positive people.”

An unexpected bright spot of Oswiecimski’s job is not just the bonds he forms with the students, but also the connections they make with each other, which can last even longer than the typical four years.

“I pick up students from different areas, and I still remember singing ‘Watermelon Sugar.’ The whole bus was singing it like a celebration, and everybody was happy. Over the pandemic, I met two students that graduated. They came on campus, and they told me they met on the night shuttle, and they were engaged. I’ve had two couples that have met on the shuttle and gotten engaged. The nights are really what bring people together.”

A very helpful and knowledgeable figure on campus, Oswiecimski encourages students to take advantage of the free night shuttle, which serves Hofstra’s campus and much of the surrounding area and is available between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Those who would like to do so can track its location using the night shuttle icon on the MyHofstra portal.