Commuting at Loyola

Most of us only have to cross the street to get to class. But each day, a number of students cross county and even state lines to do the same thing.

Many students at Loyola have made the decision to live at home instead of on campus, and commute here each day by car, train, or bus. These commuters represent 36% of the student population, and while they may not have the same experiences as most college kids do who live on campus, they have their own unique lifestyles and challenges.

Valmik Patel is one of these students. The sophomore biology student lives in the suburb of Mount Prospect and commutes to Loyola by both car and train. He drives to the Skokie Yellow line station, where he parks his car in the available lot, which is cheaper than Loyola’s parking garage.

“I then take the yellow line all the way down to Howard. Then I transfer to the Red line, and take that to Loyola,” Patel said.

Every evening, Patel makes the same commute back to Skokie and then drives home or to his job at Olive Garden. But his time on campus is spent much like any other student.

“Once I get to campus, I go to my classes, and then I’ll usually study at the IC until my best friend finishes up his classes,” Patel said. Then we go work out at Halas, and if we have any homework left, we’ll knock that out and then take the train back home.”

Patel decided to start commuting after living in Campion Hall as a freshman last year. He said that, in addition to wanting to spend more time with family, he found that living on campus was too distracting, and that it was hard to separate his school life from his home life.
Patel is also saving money by doing so, as on campus housing and meal plans can together cost upwards of $13,000 each year.

But commuting comes with its own set of challenges; naturally, traffic is one.

“The hardest part about commuting is probably the morning commute,” he said. “You have to deal with drivers who are tired or who maybe haven’t had their morning cup of joe.”

But commuters can now find help from what is a relatively new department at the university. The Department of Off Campus Life was created in 2010 to advise and connect commuter students. Office Coordinator Kristina Garcia says she and the rest of the staff and student ambassadors work to provide students with both support and resources.
One of the resources Garcia mentioned is the new commuter resource room. Located next to the Den in the recently renovated Damen Student Center, the room includes a fridge and microwave for students who need a place to store or heat their lunch. In addition, a commuter ambassador is present during normal office hours to answer questions.

The department has also implemented a program they call “Joe and Go.” Each Tuesday, the department gives out free coffee to commuter and resimuter students from 9 AM – 12 PM in the department office (Damen 125).

But one of the most daunting concerns voiced by commuter students is making friends when their time on campus is limited. To help, the department runs a series of programs designed to connect commuter students with one another.

The Commuter Connect sessions bring commuters from specific areas of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs together for fun activities such as decorating cupcakes or pumpkin carving. The department also has a space set up in Damen each Tuesday for commuters to use as a study room.

“Everybody needs to study at some point, so why not study together?” Garcia said of the program.
But according to Patel, there are some benefits to living away from his classmates. He found that living in the residence hall last year left him with too many distractions from being surrounded by friends all the time. Living at home, he said, forces him to “isolate himself” and focus on schoolwork when he needs to.

But Patel advised students thinking about commuting not to worry about losing friends.

“Your friends will always be there as long as you’re willing to seek them out and go to them,” he said.

Divvy Expands Into West Chicago, But There’s Still Work to be Done

Several weeks ago, Governor Pat Quinn confirmed a much called for expansion of the Divvy Bike program in Chicago. The city has invested $3 million into the public bicycle sharing program and by spring 2015, will add over 700 bikes and 30 docking stations in neighborhoods including Rogers Park, Garfield Park, and Austin, as well as the city of Evanston and the suburb of Oak Park.

The move comes after criticism that the program neglected Chicago’s west side neighborhoods, where many low income and minority residents live. According to WBEZ, the west side received altogether only two of 400 docking stations initially set up in 2013. This is despite the fact that studies have shown bike ridership among blacks and Latinos increasing all over the country.

“Divvy has been a tremendous success, but Chicago’s bike share system will be even better when more areas of the city are served,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a press release.

Divvy has been in Chicago since it was created by the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2013 to reduce traffic congestion, promote physical fitness, and improve air quality by taking cars off the road, furthering the city’s environmentally friendly image. Though the website claims the bikes can be picked up and dropped off anywhere in the system, it’s designed mainly for short trips under 30 minutes. Users can either pay for membership online or buy a single ride pass for $7 at a station. Only debit and credit cards are accepted as payment.

While the expansion of the bike system is good, data shows that there’s still roadblocks for residents living in the west side. Specially, the absence of safe bike routes.

The data on this map, compiled from reports from the city of Chicago, shows that not only are divvy bikes missing from areas such as Austin and Lawndale, but so are designated bike paths. There’s no data available from the city on protected bike lanes, but activists have reported unsafe biking conditions in these areas.

While officials have addressed expanding bike paths on Lakeshore Drive, there appears to be no plans for adding bike paths or lanes in any west side neighborhoods.

When Barefoot is Better: Why One Student Shuns Shoes

#97937391 / gettyimages.com

As college students, we spend most of our days walking – to class, to our dorms, to the dining halls. Without cars to rely on, we spend a lot of time on our feet. That being said, we know the value of comfortable shoes. But for one Loyola sophomore, the most comfy pair is none at all.

19 year old Adam Kress has been walking barefoot everywhere for the past four years. He finds that shoes simply don’t feel right; they’re too tight and they make his feet sweaty. While Kress wore shoes for most of his life, he decided to stop in high school.

“I was normal for most of my life,” he said jokingly. “Then one day I just was like, ‘you know I’m not going to wear shoes anymore.’ And it just kept going and going and going and now I’m like this.”

Kress said that while he initially had a few minor cuts and infections, his feet have become so calloused that he can no longer feel rocks, pebbles, or even shards of glass on them. He prefers to walk barefoot even in the winter, but occasionally must put on a pair of flip flops to avoid frostbite.

There are no federal laws that prevent an individual from being barefoot in public, but many schools and other establishments, such as restaurants, have policies requiring shoes for sanitary reasons. Kress was not allowed to be barefoot inside his high school building, and last year, he was told by staff that he had to wear shoes in the dining halls. However, he says he has no problem putting on shoes when asked.

“If someone asks me to or I’m in someone’s house and they don’t like it, I will.” he said. “When I’m going to restaurants, I have to or they won’t let me in, so I bring a pair of flip flops in my backpack all the time.”

Kress’s roommate, sophomore Raj Patel, was confused when he first met Kress, but after talking for six hours one night last year, the two became friends.

“Before I met him face to face, that was the first thing I heard about him.” he said of Kress being barefoot. “I’d see him walking around, and I’d be like, ‘why is this guy barefoot, it’s cold outside.”

“I got used to it once I spent more time with him,” Patel said.

Kress said he doesn’t get too much trouble from others, but he does draw attention. Patel finds that even homeless people on the CTA are “baffled” by him, particularly when it’s cold outside.

Recently, Kress has started wearing barefoot running shoes while working out. The shoes are like individually toed socks and mimic the feeling of being barefoot. Many runners are now proponents of the shoes, and it has started a debate over whether barefoot motion is better for your feet. But Kress says he’ll continue doing what feels best for him, regardless of the hype.

5 Questions Answered About the New LL Express Shuttle Service

Courtesy of Loyola Limited

Students torn between dragging heavy luggage on the CTA and paying exorbitant cab fares to get to Midway and O’Hare airport finally have a university affiliated option to get home for the holidays. Loyola Limited rolled out its newest service: a charter bus shuttle for students during university holidays that can take them to either Midway or O’Hare airport for a flat rate of $20.

Loyola Limited is Loyola’s student run business enterprise. The group is responsible for many popular businesses around campus, such as bike rental shop Chain Links. With the slogan, “Cheaper than a Taxi, Faster than a Train,” the LL express allows students who have to take flights home to book seats online for an exclusive charter bus complete with luggage room to get to the airport. The service operates 1-2 days after break begins, with up to four trips per day. For Thanksgiving and Fall break this year, LL express is also offering return service to Loyola’s lakeshore campus the Sunday before classes start.

I spoke with Loyola Limited Chief Marketing Officer Alexandra Ofari-Atta, who is also a junior at Loyola, about the new service, how it came to be, and what the future looks like.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

How did the idea for this service originate?

The idea had been in the works since second semester of last school year. The idea was originally proposed by our former CEO Julie Wayner. It seemed like something that should have already existed on campus, and we saw it as a really cool opportunity to expand, so we moved forward with it.

The cost of a ride is 2o dollars. How did you partner with transportation companies to get the cost so low?

We researched charter bus companies to find ones that would give us the highest break even cost. Right now, we have two bus sizes, a 36 seater and a 56 seater, and to break even, we need to reach 40% to 50% capacity of that, which is an attainable goal.

Has the service been popular so far over fall break?

We did decently for fall break. We were anticipating bigger numbers, so we ended up cutting some of the shuttles we have scheduled. We’re expecting bigger numbers for thanksgiving break, however. A lot of students live in state and not as many out of state students leave for fall break, so there weren’t as many people utilizing the shuttle. We have seen a lot of early reservations for Thanksgiving break, so we’re really expecting it to take off then.

Will students be able to utilize this service over winter break? And are there plans to continue service into second semester?

We will have service over winter break. We haven’t put up the schedule yet, but once we take down the fall break times, we’ll shift it to thanksgiving and winter break. We’re expecting to run shuttles for every university break.  We might be covering Easter break, but we’re still figuring out the numbers, so we’re not sure.

As a student, do you feel like previous transportation options for students looking to get home were safe and convenient enough?

I feel like the university really leaves you on your own, especially when it comes to Christmas break – your U-Pass doesn’t even work anymore. What’s really cool about the LL express is that you can ride the shuttle with a bunch of people that you’re familiar with. It’s also way faster than the CTA, which takes an hour and a half to both Midway and O’Hare, and can be especially confusing for freshmen who aren’t familiar with the train system. And the train is always a little dodgy, and I feel like the university wasn’t looking out for students in terms of safety in that sense. On the shuttle, you know you’re being taken safely from point A to point B.

For more information about the LL express and to make a reservation, click here.

Uber on Strike: Drivers Protest Unfair Conditions

While ridesharing app Uber is a money saving alternative for many of us, drivers say its newest policies are cutting deep into their income.

Uber black car and SUV drivers in New York City have been on strike outside of the company’s Long Island office since Friday, calling on other drivers to to stop accepting rides from the app altogether, and in some cases, switch to rival ridesharing company Lyft. They’ve also organized on Facebook under a group called Uber Drivers Network NYC, using the social network to stay connected with other drivers and spread their message.

Check out the full story on the battle between ride sharing company Uber and its’ drivers on Storify.

 

6 Surprising Facts about CTA History

By Nidhi Madhavan

Chicagoans have a love-hate relationship with public transportation. We’re quick to point out the tedious wait times, the unpredictable schedules, and the often bizarre conditions aboard. But it also drags us home safely after a drunk night out; it keeps us from emptying our wallets at gas stations; for many of us, it’s our only way of getting around.

Regardless of how you think you feel about it, the CTA is a powerful force in Chicago, one that few can say they’ve never used. In fact, the CTA announced Monday that June 2014 ridership reports show that there’s been an average of over 100,000 more riders per weekday since 2009.

'L' ridership is growing fast: June '14 data show 110,000 extra riders every weekday compared to just 5 years before! http://t.co/Xe7fPTu0c3

— cta (@cta) September 9, 2014

The Chicago Transit Authority has been around since 1947, but like its rail tracks, its history is full of twist and turns.

Here’s a few facts about the history of the CTA that might take you by surprise:

Construction of the Elevated Loop in 1895. Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority

The Loop existed before the CTA. Since the first rail line opened in 1890, there were several elevated rail lines around the region, all owned by individual private companies. Businessman Charles Tyson Yerkes coordinated the purchase of several downtown rail segments to create the Union Loop, which ran its first full “loop” in 1897.

Division Station during Construction of Dearborn Subway. Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority

And so did the subway. Although rail lines were still privately owned, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s public works program provided the city with enough federal funding to build tunnels to help supplement the traffic the elevated loop was getting. Two tunnels, one under State Street and one under Dearborn, began construction in 1938, although the latter didn’t open until 1951, after the creation of the CTA.

Opening of Dearborn Subway. This helped consolidate lines. Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority

The CTA shrunk, not expanded rail lines. When the Chicago Transit Authority was signed into creation by the Illinois General Assembly, they were given the go ahead to buy out the various unsuccessful private rail lines. When they did so, they didn’t add on to what they bought. Instead, they tore down a quarter of the existing rail lines in the city. But by doing so, they contracted the system into a more streamlined set of routes.

Interior of a green CTA bus in 1950. Photo courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority.

CTA buses used to be green. They were even known as green hornets! They stayed this way up until 1991, when they were given a paint job to match the city and the national’s colors – red, white, and blue.

Blue Line Extension Proposal. Photo Courtesy of Daily Herald.

The Blue Line was at one point supposed to extend to Schaumburg. For those of you unfamilar with the northwest region of Chicago, Schaumburg is a large suburb and huge commercial hub, home to the Woodfield Shopping Center, the second largest mall in the United States. The proposed plans in 2001 would extend blue line rails from O’hare airport north, stopping periodically in other suburban areas as well. However, by 2003 the project was scrapped.

A Painted Staircase at the Pilsen Stop. Photo Credit Angela Stewart.

There’s a theme behind the art you see at stations. The Arts in Transit program teamed up with the CTA in 2004 to bring local works of art to rail stations. The art placed in each station served to highlight the unique features of the neighborhood surrounding it.