It is that time of year again. The cold weather is upon us as we set off to take finals. The holidays are here and everyone is cherry -- well, almost everyone. I have kind of an issue that does not bring me much cheer. It is an issue that I am sure some of you can relate to.
The shuttle buses busily cruise around campus picking up more and more students as it gets colder. I usually only ride the shuttle bus when coming onto campus in the morning. This is due to the fact that I live on West Jackson and is not a far walk. In the morning, however, I have usually just rolled out of bed twenty minutes before I have to be in class so I still have that drunken looking sleep walk going on. I choose to ride the bus from the Student Center down to the library so I do not stumble and injure myself on my way to the Robert Bell building.
Something horrible has happened to me and a few other people I know here at Ball State over the years. The most recent time it happened to me being Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004. Right when I got to the doors of the shuttle bus, I had them slam in my face and I was forced with the decision to either walk or wait for another bus. Since you never know exactly when another bus is going to come, I decided I had better start walking.
The first time I had the doors of a Ball State shuttle bus slammed in my face was a cold, snowy night back when I was a freshman. You see, what I do not understand is how this happens; especially since there are many nice drivers who wait for students to cross the street from the commuter lot just so they will not miss the bus. I have been on many buses that started to take off from the stop but then the driver decided to wait on the one stray student who was frantically running toward the bus. That's it. Maybe I should frantically run to the bus from now on to make myself known.
These people who the drivers wait for have a "Man, that shuttle driver is awesome," story. I have my own. Let me give you some story time now.
I was walking with a friend on the bus stop side of the road by the Lafollette dorm complex one day last fall. A shuttle bus came to a stop by us and waited for its chance to turn left to go to the Student Center. I thought I would be dumb and throw out a hitchhiking sign to the shuttle river. Somehow, she saw this and opened the shuttle doors so my friend and I could board. She said there was no sense in us waiting for another bus. That lady was stellar cool. That is the kind of driver I wished I encountered every time I came near a shuttle bus on campus.
So, with this being the holiday season, I ask the shuttle drivers to make sure they are not shutting the doors in someone's face. In turn, we as students will try harder to make it to the shuttle stop before the shuttle is taking off. I prefer my "Man, I love that shuttle driver" story as opposed to my "Man, I hate the shuttles around here" story.
Write to Haley at haleyasberry@hotmail.com
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