What do chemistry professor Bret Findley, Information Technology director Billie Miles, and St. Michael’s magazine writer Mark Tarnacki have in common? They all commute to campus on the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) bus, for free.
Getting on the bus
St. Michael’s students have been riding the CCTA bus for free since November 2007. Human Resources vice president Mike New says he heard about the new student program, and wanted to know why the same opportunity wasn’t made available for faculty and staff.
“UVM and Champlain have this available for their faculty and staff, I thought it was time for us to ‘get on the bus,', so to speak,” New says.
Senior Dillon Klepetar also saw a need for free bussing for faculty and staff.
The bus stop on Cherry Street in downtown Burlington. Most faculty and staff switch to the Essex Junction busline at this stop. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
“I knew students now had it for free, and that St. Mike’s staff and faculty also had an ID card, so I thought it could be extended to them,” Klepetar says.
After discussions with Dean of Students Michael Samara, New says the benefit was extended to faculty and staff on Feb. 1. New sent an e-mail to faculty and staff informing them about the new free commuting program.
“This is a trial period,” New says. “The program will be reevaluated soon, and I am confident it will continue next year.”
New says he had a surplus in the healthcare budget so it was able to cover the cost of the bus fares. The program will be factored into the school’s budget if it continues next year, he says.
Under the school’s agreement with CCTA, every time a Knightcard is swiped on the bus, the school is charged for the $0.94 fare, discounted from $1.25, he says.
The exact numbers for faculty and staff bus use is not yet determined, New says.
“I know not everyone can take advantage of this, based on where they live,” New says. “But we’ve gotten positive feedback, and it is consistent with the message we’re sending and the raised awareness about environmental issues.”
Unexpected benefits
When chemistry professor Bret Findley comes to campus on the 7:45 a.m. bus, he often sees English professor Lorrie Smith, Mark Tarnacki from marketing and communications, political science professor Trish Siplon, and a woman Findley refers to as “Beth from admissions."
“I actually don’t know her last name,” Findley says with a laugh, “I had never met Beth before and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her.”
The bus schedule is posted at the main entrace to the St. Michael's campus. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
Many faculty and staff cite these interactions with employees they may not normally see, as well as with students, as a benefit of taking the bus to work.
“I’ve gotten some story ideas for the magazine from casual chatter on the bus,” Tarnacki says. “Someone will say, ‘did you hear about this?,’ or tell me about a project they are working on. And Billie Miles is the computer guru around here, I talked to her about buying a laptop and she gave me some expert advice,” he says.
Tarnacki says he previously took the bus 10 to 15 times throughout the year, usually in bad driving weather. Now he makes an effort to commute on the bus two to three times a week.
Findley says living in Europe gave him an appreciation for public transportation, he typically rides the bus four out of the five days he comes to work.
“Knowing I need to catch the bus actually gets me out the house faster in the morning, and makes me more decisive about leaving my office at the end of the day,” Findley says. “Plus, I can get some good reading in on the ride.”
Findley, Tarnacki and Smith all say they have not had to drastically change their morning routines to commute on the bus, and that the benefits have outweighed any inconveniences.
“I think that we all have to find ways to change our lifestyle, our habits, which sometimes means doing things out of our comfort zones,” Smith says.
A greener lifestyle?
Making lifestyle changes has been a common theme on campus this year. Students, faculty and staff are coming together to make St. Michael’s a more environmentally-conscious community, and taking public transportation is a way to reduce the school’s carbon footprint, Klepetar says.
“I’m not an environmental saint,” Tarnacki says. “My main motivation was saving money. But I like that I am not burning gas and saving money, and it’s for a good cause.”
Tarnacki has also been keeping track of the number of times he rides the bus in a log, as part of the Commuter Choices Incentive Program that Klepetar designed. The program has run since April 7 and will end May 9. Participants record their means of transportation to campus every day and receive points based on their commuting choices.
Participants get three points each way for walking or biking to work and two points for carpooling or taking the CCTA bus. At the end of the program, participants can receive rewards ranging from a free coffee or tea from Café Cheray to a $15 gift certificate to American Flatbread. Klepetar says he and New are in the process of getting the prizes donated, or purchased at a reduced price.
“They aren’t big prizes, but some people need that extra incentive,” Klepetar says. “It’s important that faculty and staff confront the fact that that their choice does make an impact. If they see that they get zero points for driving alone to work, it might make them think ‘hey, this is not a good call’.”
Coca-Cola has donated a mountain bike as a prize for the program, New says. All participants who accumulate over 35 points are entered into a drawing for the bike.
Klepetar says he has seen a good response from a substantial number of faculty and staff, and wants the program to continue after he graduates. He says this may mean delegating the task to Human Resources, or finding a successor to run the program.
While there has been a push this year for St. Michael’s to be more green, Klepetar says he is discouraged when he still sees people get in their cars to go from main to North Campus.
“We often justify behavior by telling each other that we can't do something.” Klepetar says. “In reality, there are conveniences that we can sacrifice.”
Smith agrees that people get stuck in their ways and this might prevent them from making choices that would reduce their carbon footprints.
“It’s pure habit, and laziness, frankly,” Smith says. “I’m not saying I’m completely virtuous, but it’s the little things. I would never buy an SUV, I hang my clothes out to dry. I do think we are starting to see a shift in the culture, so it’s becoming cool to be more aware.”
Klepetar stresses that while it may be becoming “in vogue” to have concern for the environment, we have a limited time frame to deal with a problem of great magnitude.
“We need to understand what is a solution, and what is only a claim,” Klepetar says. “We’re only serious about what is easiest, and we need to start to change our mind frame about convenience.”