Make them walk! Or, at least, ride the regular bus.

It was announced the other day that NIU parking services will provide the faculty and staff with shuttle service in compensation for having to park out of their way.

This seems slightly silly considering students have been walking from these “remote” parking lots which the faculty and staff now will be using. It also seems silly that the faculty and staff cannot use the perfectly good bus system that is provided for students, when they all will be coming from the same place.

If the original reasoning for making the faculty and staff park farther was to reduce traffic through central campus, then why are they still creating more traffic than they need by using this special shuttle service?

The regular bus routes hit the same spots that the shuttle buses are scheduled to stop at and do so at shorter intervals. If the faculty and staff of the university find it hard to share with the students they work with during the day, then they can schedule their bus rides during times when most students will be in class or opt to walk.

Gary Vander Meer, parking committee chair, said this shuttle service will cost neither the students nor the faculty and staff any money. Even if it is agreed that there are extra buses to use on campus free of cost, the question that arises is—what are they going to run on, air? Money for gas will have to come from somewhere. Maybe there will just be an instant increase in parking tickets issued, to the faculty, staff and students.

The faculty probably have ridden on a university bus at some point. Sharing a seat with a student will give them time to remember the good ole‘ days.