Students lacking transportation struggle at MC

Transportation is key, or so they say.  In college, it is all about where something is happening, but it can be hard to get to where you need if you have no means of transportation. At Maryville College, there is a population of students that does not have cars.  As adults, there are times where we need to get places that aren’t always within walking

Junior Bryce Redaja explained what it can be like for those who do not have a car.  Redaja is from Phoenix, AZ and lives on campus at Maryville College.  According to Redaja, it would be too far and too expensive for him to drive it to campus, so he does without.

Redaja is active on campus through different organizations and the baseball team. Though he has many good friends, Redaja said that it can be hard to get around without a car.

“I either have to wait for someone to want to go into town or I have to ask someone for a ride,” said Redaja. “Most of the time I ask to go to places with a common interest, but it’s difficult to ask someone to put some time aside to drive me to places.”

Not having a car on campus seems to put people in a bind, and in some interesting situations. Many stories have circulated around campus of students trying to walk to different places in the Maryville area. Redaja explained how one time he walked to Wal-Mart from campus.

“I could not get there because there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. . . the trip took me just over an hour,” said Redaja.

Since Maryville is so small, public transportation is out of the question. Bigger campuses like University of Tennessee, Knoxville has that option, so students without a car on campus at least have the opportunity to get to stores and places of common interest, but here in Maryville, there is not that option.

Transportation is hard for those students who do not have it at their fingertips. It places students in an awkward situation that can almost be hard to face.  Most students without a car simply do not say anything, or take matters into their own hands and attempt to walk to places that they need to be.

This is dangerous for many students with weather conditions and the types of drivers we all see in East Tennessee.  But these students do not feel comfortable asking for help and would rather walk miles to get to where they need to be.

The solution is simple, lend a hand and offer a ride to those who need it.  Not all students are fortunate enough to have the town at their fingertips. At Maryville College, students are taught to be considerate, and think of one another. It doesn’t have to be an Earth-shattering aspect of life, it can be as simple as offering a ride to someone who needs it.