By Jordyn Ramsey

jordyn-ramsey@uiowa

As students pack up their backpacks and head onto Cambus for their first day of classes today, so will students at the Cultural and Resource Centers.

Today, University of Iowa Parking and Transportation will start a new Cambus route near Grand and Melrose Avenues, where the Cultural and Resource Centers are located.

UI Student Government President Rachel Zuckerman said the organization has been heavily involved in the implementation of the new routes.

“The UISG has worked to improve the transportation to the Cultural and Resource Centers on the west side of campus,” she said.

When it comes to transportation, Zuckerman said, living on the west campus can be difficult, and while the cultural resources are “phenomenal resources,” it could sometimes be difficult to find transportation and access to other parts of the university.

“This problem has been occurring for many years but finally the UISG found a solution,” she said.

According to a press release, the bus will run from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., and then it will change and depart from the new stop every 30 minutes. 

Adetayo Oladele-Aajose, a member of the UISG Diversity Committee, said UISG members worked hard with numerous organizations, including the Cultural Resource Centers and Parking and Transportations, to push for the idea.

“We emailed and called people as to why we shouldn’t have this new spot,” she said.

Oladele-Ajose said members wanted to understand what complications could arise as a result of the new route because of construction and renovations to not only the Cultural and Resource Centers but also all around the UI.

The implementation of the new route was made possible after student government discovered that Cambus is effective and is able to navigate around construction sites without affecting other buses along the route, Zuckerman said.

“This was a yearlong battle, but with Iowa being a close-knit community, it all came together,” she said.

The nearest bus stops to the centers were usually a couple minutes away, said Hunter Gillaspie, a member of the LGBT Resource Center.

“This new stop will not only be good for the students involved in these centers but those freshmen that are not aware of the Cultural and Resource Centers or how to navigate around the areas surrounding the centers,” he said.

Gillaspie noted that having the routes would help students be more aware of what the centers are about.

“Naming the bus Cultural and Resource Center Route will assist people with becoming more aware of the resources they have,” he said.

Zuckerman said the start of a new academic year is the perfect time to implement the change.

“With the new school year starting, it is a great time for students to gain more accessibility from the west side to campus,” she said.