OOC #2: Good Example #2

Nov. 3, 2017

Out of Class #2

            It’s no secret that Michigan State University has one of the largest campuses of any school in the entire country, and getting from one end to the other can be a hassle.

            Fortunately, there are many ways for students to get around campus; including buses, biking, and walking.

            Severo Hernandez, a member of the MSU Office of Admissions welcome team, laid out for me DELETE FOR ME; NO FIRST-PERSON REFERENCES LIKE I, ME, MY OUTSIDE OF QUOTES, PER AP STYLE all the different methods of transportation that MSU students use.

“We have a bus system that transports students all over campus, we have students that get around on mopeds, we have students that get around on bikes and students walk,” Hernandez said.  “So we have many preferences available for our students to get around campus.”

Hernandez added that the size and beauty of MSU’s campus is beneficial when it comes to recruiting prospective students.

“We are listed as one of the top institutions in terms of campus beauty,” Hernandez said. “I think (Michigan State’s) campus being as large as it is is one of the most beautiful campuses (in the nation).”

In terms of buses, many students use the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) buses that run all over the Lansing area as a means of getting around campus.

According to the CATA website, many of the buses whose routes go through campus begin running at roughly 6 a.m. on weekdays with some of them running all the  way until roughly 2:30 a.m.

WHY NOT GET A QUOTE FROM CATA OFFICALS FOR HERE?

Students at MSU have the ability to purchase a bus pass for $50 that is good for an entire semester, these passes are sold at many Sparty’s locations all throughout campus. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? ATTRIBUTE!

            Duale Mahat, a junior at Michigan State who lives in South neighborhood, said “I always walk now, but I always used to take the bus from my first year to my sophomore year.”

            “I take the bus to East neighborhood when I’m visiting my friends, but I never take it to get to class.” MAHAT SAID. ATTRIBUTE!

            Mahat is not the only student who favors walking. Mary Sanders, a current sophomore at MSU who resides in Brody neighborhood said that she prefers to walk because “a lot of (her) classes are around Wells Hall and Shaw lane, so not very far (from Brody).”

            “I also have a bike, which I will use when I am running late or need to go somewhere farther, but I never take the bus,” Sanders said.

            One major upside of students using their bikes is that Michigan State has a service center for bikes located on campus. At the MSU Bikes Service Center, students can purchase bikes, rent bikes, or have repairs done on bikes they already own. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? ATTRIBUTE!

            Shawn Hoffman, an alumnus of Michigan State who currently works at the MSU Bikes Service Center, said “(the MSU Bikes Service Center is) pretty cool because it’s an affordable way for a student to get a bike, and maintenance is included in the price of the bike, so it’s kind of a worry free way to get around campus.”

            Hoffman also said that he uses a bike to get around campus himself.

Eva Kassens-Noor is an Associate Professor TITLES ARE LOWER CASE UNLESS DIRECTLY BEFORE TITLE HOLDER’S NAME, PER AP STYLE of Urban and Regional Planning at MSU. Her research interests include urban and transportation planning.

            Kassens-Noor said that the best method of transportation at MSU is generally walking or biking, but “depends on where the student has to go.”

            “I would say close to Grand River or Michigan Avenue, it is possible that walking and biking is very efficient, but once you talk about the Kellogg Biological Station biking or walking is not very efficient,” Kassens-Noor said.

Kassens-Noor also stressed the importance of many different means of transportation for MSU students.

            “I think you have a lot of different exposure to weather for the students, you wouldn’t want to bike in 12 inches of snow or something like that,” Kassens-Noor said. “I think multi-modality is always very important.”

            “(Students) have buses, they have bikes, they have wonderful walking paths. I think that is the most efficient way to get around,” Kassens-Noor said. “Maybe in the future there will be a ton of vehicles (used for on-campus transportation) but that is a completely different discussion.”

Word count: 702

Sources whose words made it into this piece:

Duale Mahat: Junior at MSU. 517-755-9234

Mary Sanders: Sophomore at MSU 248-227-3173

Shawn Hoffman: MSU Alumnus and current employee at MSU Bikes Service Center 586-914-0736

Severo Hernandez: MSU Office of Admissions Welcome Team Member 517-432-6618

Eva Kassens-Noor: Associate professor, urban and transport planning in the school of planning design and production and the global urban studies program. 312-636-5043

ASSIGNMENT GRADE: (redacted)

INSTRUCTOR’S COMMENTS: VERY NICE WORK HERE, BUT WE SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO CATA OFFICIALS ABOUT THEIR OPERATIONS AT MSU AND MAYBE GOTTEN SOME STATISTICS FROM THEM ON HOW MANY STUDENT RIDERS, ETC. STILL, NICE WORK!