The way things look now, Sue Haas will have a lot of trouble getting to her classes this winter.

Haas is one of about 16 handicapped NIU students who use the Student Association Mass Transit Board’s handicapped transportation service.

But the transit board’s service does not offer transportation for the students during the day on weekdays, and the transit board will have a tough time making daytime hours available, said transit board chairman Dave Emerick.

According to Emerick, TRANSVAC, the company who runs the service, said the “contract cannot be changed.”

The contract, up for renewal at the start of the spring semester, lists transportation hours of 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, 12 noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

But Haas, who is also a member of the transit board, said she “doesn’t know what is going to happen in the winter.

“As for me, the nice days aren’t bad,” she said. “But in bad weather, physically disabled people shouldn’t be outside.”

Emerick said the transit board has tried to add hours to the service’s present schedule, but that TRANSVAC “told me the contract can’t be changed. We will work with TRANSVAC to increase the hours and stress to them that we need this service.”

Haas said she will try to get other handicapped students to take their case to TRANSVAC.

“This situation makes the SA look like a bunch of bad guys,” Emerick said. “I would like to offer the daytime service, and we have the funding. But TRANSVAC won’t budge.”

Emerick said he did not know why TRANSVAC will not change the service’s hours and added there is no other company in DeKalb that contracts out handicapped vehicles and operators.

“I can get on the phone with (TRANSVAC) right now and they’ll say no,” he said.