UPDATE: SGA Senator Elliot Kauffman told The Cougar that the shuttle program is not going to happen this year due to costs.
“(SGA) will work on including game day shuttle service to our satellite campuses in the future and in the meantime SGA will continue to work on ways to make the Sugarland campus feel more included in the UH community,” said Kauffman.
The shuttle is still in its beginning stages, and it would aid in the process of creating a more unified student body, even among satellite campuses.The Student Government Association is looking to increase cougar pride at the Sugar Land campus by providing a shuttle to take its students to and from football games.
“The shuttle itself is actually a smaller part of a bigger picture we’re working on,” SGA Vice President Tanzeem Chowdhury said. “We’re trying to make sure that our Sugar Land students feel a part of the University of Houston.”
The solution then was obvious, UH Sugar Land Student Ambassador Moojan Hakim said. A shuttle to transport students to football games and other big events is exactly what was needed.
One of the biggest obstacles satellite students face when attempting to go to games is parking, Chowdhury said.
“The Sugar Land campus has free parking,“ Chowdhury said. “So, when they try and come here for a football game, or any popular event, it can be extremely chaotic and confusing.”
But shuttle won’t just help the Sugar Land students, according to Chowdhury. The shuttle will provide for less traffic and cars that will ultimately help main campus students get to the games easier as well.
One concern that was voiced was the fact that some students from Sugar Land may not feel included, and may not be interested in attending major games in the first place. According to Sugar Land student and digital media junior JoLee Anderson, the two campuses can feel like completely different schools.
“I’ve been to a few football games,” Anderson said. “But unless I know a bunch of people going, it just doesn’t seem worth it.
According to Hakim, some majors have been moved entirely to the Sugar Land campus, so some students are split between each location.
“The main reason for moving majors is that there’s not enough space on the main campus,” Hakim said. “Nursing, digital media, and a few other communications focuses are all over there.”
Chowdhury said he is hopeful the shuttle will accommodate students that are originally part of the main campus but who have been moved to the Sugar Land campus, and that this will ultimately encourage more Sugar Land students to attend games and have school pride.
“We have been improving in school pride every year since I got here,” Chowdhury said. “As the student government, we’re the representatives of the students – it’s our job to make sure that all students feel included.”
Plans for the shuttle are still in the works and there is much work left to be done. One major component moving forward involves marketing the shuttle so students are aware of the opportunities they have.
“An idea was to get our student athletes involved, maybe some football players, and get them to come to the Sugar Land campus to talk with its students” Hakim said.
There are still details to work out, but according to Hakim, the shuttle is on its way.
