When I moved to Syracuse, I was shocked by how segregated the university community is with relation to the rest of the city. This lack of knowledge of the Syracuse area was a product of limited transportation options that connect the campus community with the rest of the city. Many students want to volunteer and connect with the city but have no means of transportation to do so. The lack of efficient public transportation makes coordinating a full time academic course load, a job and volunteering or interning opportunities very difficult.

Up until spring semester 2014, the Connective Corridor had a regular schedule that stopped close to the Near West Side almost every thirty minutes. Many organizations are located in this area, which made volunteering with different centers manageable. But, the Connective Corridor now stops only every two or three hours, making coordinating volunteer time extremely conflicting and difficult. The Shaw Center on campus has been able to alleviate some of this transportation problem, but only during the weekdays. There is currently no viable option for weekend transportation, which is when most students are free to volunteer. Not only are the organizations in the area directly affected by this cut, but the students interested in volunteer work now have a much more limited way of connecting with the city. Eliminating effective transportation methods not just affects the productivity of the organizations, but it also limits the extra-curricular growth experiences students have.

Volunteer experiences are not just beneficial to the organizations, but to students as well. Enriching opportunities feed into the student’s course material and enhance an individual’s college experience. Ambitious students who desire to perform well in classes, maintain a job, and volunteer, should be able to do so. Appetite for knowledge and experiences should be rewarded. This is why students should demand a more efficient public transportation system from the university.

Education students wishing to volunteer in after school programs, anthropology majors wanting to learn more about the Syracuse refugee community, VPA undergraduates looking to develop their artistic skills by collaborating with different centers or organizations. These are just some examples of students who would benefit from a better transportation system. And in turn, the local organizations will profit. Both, the city and the university community working together to improve the living conditions of the city at large.

Andrea Isabel López
International Relations, Citizenship and Civic Engagement, and Latin American Studies; Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University ‘16