Stockton’s parking and transportation has always been a source of stress and anxiety for students. From the lack of parking spaces for commuters to late-coming shuttles, students have constantly complained to no avail. Unfortunately, this year doesn’t bring much improvement. With the recent budget cuts that have been affecting everyone at Stockton, Parking and Transportation has also reduced the running shuttles. South Lot hours now run from 8am to 4pm on weekdays, Chris Gaupp has been closed down and is no longer an option for residential students, and even the Atlantic City shuttle hours have been reduced. South Lot is particularly frustrating for residents of Ivy and Juniper Halls — Housing 5 — since it does not show on the Samsara tracker, and sometimes even ends its shift early. One student living in Ivy Hall was nearly late to class when they were waiting at the South Lot stop around 3:30pm, only to later see the South Lot bus parking in North Lot, finishing its shift for the day 15 minutes earlier than stated.

The North Lot bus has also been set on a slower schedule than students would prefer, and is not usually trackable, since the Samsara tracker tends to malfunction and not show any online buses. On October 3, I was looking to briefly return to my dormitory, retrieve something I needed, and get dinner from the Lodge before my 6pm class. So, I left my club meeting early and got to the bus stop at 4:45pm. By 5:20pm, the bus had still not arrived, and it was nowhere to be seen on the tracker. I wasn’t planning on walking home because of severe foot pain I was having, but since I had to get back to my room, I had to force myself to brave the pain and walk all the way back across the lake. I didn’t see the bus until I had already crossed the bridge and was nearing A Court — Housing 1 — when I saw the bus finally going down the road to campus.

By the time I got home, I only had 15 minutes until my class started, leaving me no time to get dinner. I ate granola bars as I walked back to campus, no longer trusting the bus to get me to class on time. Many students besides me were inconvenienced by the bus’s unexplained, 35-minute delay. I emailed Parking and Transportation asking about the shuttle’s delay, but received no reply. I have repeatedly brought the issue of the tracker malfunctioning and not showing running buses in the past, and the issue has never been fixed. The issue with buses being delayed, or even their schedules being changed, without students being notified has been ongoing for as long as I’ve attended Stockton. Buses randomly stop in the middle of their shifts or even go off-campus for gas in the middle of the day when students rely on them to get to their classes or meetings with no notice given, which severely affects students’ schedules.

Sarah Kell, who I met while waiting about 20 minutes for the North Lot bus at 9pm on September 30, commented, “The biggest issue is that it’s not on schedule. They told me it takes 10 to 15 minutes. I was late to class because I was 20 minutes late, and I saw them pass. They should have two shuttles that are constantly circling for both routes.” She then added, “If I’m 15 minutes late to class, there’s no point in going; the class is barely an hour long. Please do better, for the love of grades!” Unfortunately, most professors at Stockton aren’t usually as understanding when it comes to a student coming late due to the shuttles. Many still mark their students as “Tardy” or even count an absence, blaming the students for not taking an “earlier shuttle.” This is especially frustrating for Atlantic City residents, since some “earlier” buses arrive on campus two hours or more before their class, and students usually take a shuttle that is closer to their class times.

Another grievance that has stirred a strong storm is the school’s decision to shut down weekend shuttles in Galloway completely. Students looking to catch a ride to campus on the first Saturday of the school year were dismayed when they looked up the shuttle schedule and saw “No Service” under Saturday and Sunday. At the moment, the weather has been wonderful, optimal for walking around Lake Fred, but what will students do when they need to go from Housing to the main campus when it’s raining, windy, or even snowing? Personally, I find this problem to be very worrysome. I do not have a car on campus and I always relied on the weekend shuttle to Lot 1 to get food on campus or go to important events for my clubs or for my job here at the Argo. As someone who lived 13 years in a tropical country, I still haven’t fully adapted to the icy winters here in Galloway, and I dread the thought of having to walk around Lake Fred in that weather, or ask a friend to go out of their way to give me a ride to campus. Students shouldn’t have to pay tens of dollars for an Uber or Lyft to go to campus two minutes away just to avoid the frigid weather on weekends.

When polled on Instagram, 91% of students agreed that weekend shuttles in Galloway should be available, even if only one shuttle is running. One student living in G Court (Housing 1) is frustrated at this decision, since the walk from G Court, to the Light Path, then to Stockton’s main campus is a very long one. They expressed, “They should definitely have the shuttles running on the weekends. In the winter, it’s going to be hard for me to walk all the way to campus and back to get food.” In January, temperatures go as low as 30°F and wind speeds are as fast as 11mph. Precipitation goes as high as 3.6 inches.

Galloway is known for ice-cold rain and wind, which is a danger to students’ health, and on the Light Path, there are strong gusts of wind over Lake Fred, which make students feel much colder than it is. I myself am very sensitive to cold temperatures, and I’ve even suffered ice burns and aches in my bones because of these winds. In terms of food options, the Lakeside Lodge is a no-go for breakfast and lunch, not opening until 5pm, and Lakeside Street Subs is only open on weekdays. This leaves the Market, which doesn’t open until 2 pm and offers little in comparison to the dining options in the Campus Center, N-Wing, or Academic Spine. I don’t think it’s fair to expect students to drive to campus, using up their gas, or walk in horrid weather just to get breakfast, and students shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for off-campus dining options through DoorDash on weekends, especially if they have a meal plan, which is mandatory for certain housing options. Lately, the campus has been busy on weekends, and there is still a substantial line at Dunkin’ despite how many students go home or to work on Saturdays and Sundays.

When asked about their decision, the Parking and Transportation office responded, “The University analyzed ridership and utilization and determined the cost to operate Saturday service exceeded the utilization. The most frequent users were students living in Chris Gaupp, and since students are not currently living in Chris Gaupp, the Saturday service was eliminated. There is service on Sunday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and [the shuttle] makes the following stops: Housing 2/3 shelter, Lot 8A middle of lot by Delaware Ave, and Lot 8B passenger shelter.” There is weekend shuttle service for freshman students living in Housing 2 and 3, but what of the rest of the students that stay over the weekends on the other side of Lake Fred? What of students that do not have a car on campus?

“I feel like Stockton isn’t inclusive enough when it comes to stuff like the shuttles. It’s really counterintuitive to how they always say they listen to students and want to be inclusive of all our needs,” one student commented, choosing to remain anonymous. “It’s outrageous that there are no weekend shuttles at all. They can’t expect physically disabled or handicapped students to walk to campus in the winter when they want food on the weekends! They should have opened something for breakfast over on [the residential] side of the lake if they were going to do this!”

Another anonymous student, who is an Education major, agreed that weekend shuttles from North Lot to Lot 1 are necessary. “Walking on the weekends proposes a challenge to getting food and completing school work. If the weather is yucky, then walking to campus would not be feasible. Thus, less motivation. I also have had issues with back pain in the past, so not having a weekend shuttle makes it difficult to get to and from campus. Not to mention that there are no food options in the upperclassman residential area until 2 pm!”

Students living on campus are not the only ones affected. Mamma ‘T’ Thompson, a non-traditional, part-time student studying for a Doctoral degree in Public Health, is well-known on campus and loved by many of the students and staff at Stockton. She lives in Buena Vista Township, which requires a long commute. She stated: “I must take the 54/40 Shuttle, which I instated when Governor Whitman was in office. I then must take the Hammonton train to Egg Harbor City Rail, transfer over to Egg Harbor Shuttle to Stockton University.” She added, “I chose Stockton because of its family community. I have been a volunteer here since Dr. Vera King was the president. Dr. Saatkamp was a very warm and receiving president who loved to talk to his students.”

In regards to the shuttles, Thompson recently “learned that Stockton is taking away the only connection from Egg Harbor City to Stockton, stating ‘budget cuts’ are the culprit. After some struggles, Stockton will now at least allow faculty and staff members to take the shuttle here to Stockton, but not people like me — students. I am forced to live off an income level below the poverty line and refuse to go on the welfare system, because I own my home and want to retain some dignity of being a proud American. So, as an older, non-traditional student. I cannot afford to pay for Lyft or Uber rides, and the NJ Train only runs its regular route.” She hopes that by making this statement to the Argo, she can help incite change in the transportation system, and inspire the staff to be more inclusive of all students’ circumstances, since Stockton takes pride in its inclusivity and consideration of everyone in the student body.