I know that we?re all a little too old to be having nightmares about things going wrong on our first day of school, but we?re not too old to whine about it when it actually happens.
My first day of school after winter break was Jan. 15. I live at UR, but since I?m a dual degree student I take many Eastman classes.
I woke up on time and got to CLARC about 10 minutes early. I sat eating one of those huge muffins for quite a while, and then began to wonder if the bus was actually coming.
I started to talk with CLARC Java City manager Bonnie Buonomo. She told me that she hadn?t seen my bus all day. I panicked. I don?t have a car on campus ? Bus 72 is my ride.
Suddenly, when all seemed lost, I saw my friend Al and borrowed his car.
Let me tell you a little bit about Al?s car. The driver?s side door doesn?t open and the steering wheel hardly turns. I drove the route to Eastman thinking that I wasn?t going to live to see spring break.
I got to class at 10. The first door I tried was locked, so I made a lot of noise coming in. Everyone looked at me when I came in ? probably thinking, ?there?s that dumb UR girl I remember from last semester.?
I returned the car, got a ride back later that afternoon and slept over on the floor of a friend?s room. I borrowed another barely functional car the next day. Thankfully, the buses started up again on Wednesday, but what went wrong?
I contacted Eastman?s Dean Undercofler regarding my problem and he forwarded my e-mail queries to registrar John Podvin. ?I?m not sure why the schedule glitch occurred,? Podvin replied, promising to speak to Transportation Services to prevent future mishaps.
I?m not confident that anyone will be spoken to about what happened. The mishap affected many more people than just me. I shouldn?t have to have to anticipate future stress being added to my already hectic schedule.
When I?m late to a class, I only want it to be my fault and not the fault of something I can?t control.
When I tried to get a parking pass as a first semester freshman on the basis that I was a student who?d have to do a lot of back-and-forth traveling, I was told that I wouldn?t need a car. I could take the free shuttle that runs between UR and Eastman each day.
Does the administration even understand how important a role the bus plays in the lives of those of us who are pursuing music from the River Campus?
It doesn?t appear that they grasp this. I start out every day with a bus ride to Eastman and I shouldn?t have to wait in CLARC hopelessly eating muffins and wondering if I?ll be able to get to class.
