Grambling State University - Tiger Yearbook (Grambling, LA)

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¢ nH=eme QPameon Lounges are favorite resting spots of commuters. The voyage ends. 344 Tiger Life Cardell Phillips heads for Hodge. Commuters They Are Always On The Go There is a group of students at GSU that many on-campus Gramblinites are not too familiar with. These students can be classified as early birds, midnight-oil burners and all-around hard workers. They attend classes, study in the library and prepare home- work assignments just as on-campus Gramblinites do, but the big difference is that they commute to school by bus. Yes, four surrounding parishes, Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson and Webster, have buses that provide transportation for local students to and from GSU. This free-of-charge privilege is government-funded. Parish school boards hire the drivers. At one time, three of these buses were parked between Charles P. Adams and Martha Adams halls. These vehicles served as a meeting place for some of the students taking a break between classes. As of February, 1986, the buses were moved to the street directly across from the elementary school | so that more student parking spaces could be provided. ‘“‘Now, when we have some spare time, instead of going to the buses, we sometimes meet in the student lounges in Charles P. Adams and Carver halls, the dormitory lounges and friends’ rooms,”’ related Kim Qualls, a freshman commuter from Hodge. Socializing, enjoying a bite to eat and waiting on the buses take up most of our out-of-class time, Kim added. There are also commuters who drive to school, carpool with others and attend classes at Louisiana Tech. In addition to the bus commuters, these “traveling students” add a special touch to the variety of students represented here. The bus program got its start in the fall of 1969 with Jackson Parish furnishing the initial vehicle, explained Cardell Phillips, Jackson Parish bus driver. ‘Because there were students who wanted to attend Grambling College, but could not afford to pay on-campus fees or daily transportation, a group of concerned black parents met with local representatives to discuss a possible means of trans- portation to GC. This resulted in government-funded money be- ing awarded to Jackson Parish for this sole purpose. Bienville, Claiborne and Webster parishes followed with similar programs in the fall of 1970. Today, these buses log a minimum of 92 daily roundtrip miles in Jackson Parish and 144 in Bienville. i} i

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Only five more miles to Hodge. Students pass time in Adams. There is always time to study. cher Bolds. Sd Dr. Lee Britt briefs DeRan —s Tiger Life 335