While students may not know about them or think they’re useful, the Huskie Pups are actually pretty cool.

The Huskie Line Pups are one of the additions NIU President Doug Baker debuted as a feature of his Master Plan Thesis. The plan includes lessening travel time from anywhere on campus to less than 10 minutes, according to a Feb. 10 Northern Star article.

The Pups are handicap-accessible electronic tram vehicles capable of traveling up to 25 miles per hour and work in conjunction with the Huskie Bus Line.

“It’s like being a little kid in Disneyland again, you know? Like getting on those little shuttles and being carted around. To me it’s just fun …,” said Brett Williams, Student Association director of Mass Transit. “It’s just part of the goal of making this an easier campus to get around … I can’t imagine why you would say no to a Huskie Puppy. I mean, they’re adorable and you can get on and off whenever you want.”

Having these Pups available come winter when trudging across the windy campus should be a lifesaver.

Since the Pups are new, nobody knows what hours they’ll be running, Williams said. That shouldn’t discourage students from hopping on one now: The more students use them and offer feedback, the more improvements will be made.

One problem: I don’t think anyone knows what to do with these pups quite yet, let alone where to find them. When I looked, no one was aboard the Pup despite all the room available. One of the drivers seemed to aimlessly look for potential passengers.

As with the bike paths on the sidewalks and changes to the Huskie Bus routes, these pilots take time. The Pups are a cool addition to our campus that will make students’ lives easier once we all know about them.

One possible way to get the word out that the Pups are out and about is to leave one of them parked near the Holmes Student Center stop so students have the opportunity to approach the vehicle, get inside, read a poster about it and ask questions. The likelihood students use them will rise once they realize they exist.