The Joey, that lovable converted school bus that brings students to and from Davis Square for no charge, is a friend of every student at Tufts. Currently, its serves five stops — four on campus and one in Davis Square — but certain parts of campus are left uncovered by the shuttle's route.
Some students are hoping to add a Joey stop at Cousens Gym, and in order to convince administrators that the extension would benefit the Tufts community, a group of students has drafted a petition, which sits at the front security desk of the gym for all those entering to see and sign.
Junior Donald Simmons, the leading force behind the petition, thinks that extending the campus shuttle to Cousens will encourage more students to utilize the gym.
"Students will not second-guess themselves when they want to go down to the gym," he said. "Knowing that they can catch the Joey down to the gym will increase student morale and create a healthier atmosphere because more students will be working out."
Many students on campus are involved with athletics through various varsity, intramural and club teams, but for those who do not partake in competitive sports, the distance from classes to the gym can be a deterrent to working out, junior Amanda Parker said. Particularly during the winter months, New England weather makes venturing to the gym less appealing, Parker, who works as a student monitor at Cousens, said.
"I remember as a freshman my friends and I felt like the gym was really far away from Houston Hall," she said. "A lot of people will say ‘it's too long of a walk' as an excuse for not going to the gym. It would be especially helpful for students on the far end of campus, students that are just beginning a workout routine and are intimidated by the long walk or students from warmer parts of the country not used to walking in the cold."
Another motive for the potential Joey extension is to improve student safety. Some students consider the area surrounding Cousens, which is located on College Avenue in Medford, to be among the more dangerous, or at least, less populated, areas of campus. In 2008, a new Cousens security system was put in place, requiring that all gym-goers present their Tufts identification cards upon entry, but prior to the changes, there were reports of individuals not affiliated with Tufts entering and using the gym.
Additionally, in November 2009, a female jogger was attacked and assaulted while running by the Cousens Gym complex. The woman was not a Tufts student, but the event raised concerns for Tufts students and employees who frequent the area.
Parker, who has habitually had to walk home from the gym at night, said that she often feels uncomfortable being in the area on her own.
"Last semester I had a late shift at the gym," she said. "At times, I felt unsafe walking from Cousens all the way to Carmichael at 10:30 p.m. My roommates, family and even the security guards at the gym were nervous about me walking alone on Boston Avenue that late."
The Cousens complex is open until 10:30 p.m. most nights, far past when it gets dark out, and the low lighting on the streets that lead back to campus were a major concern for Parker. A Joey stop by Cousens not only would have gotten her back to campus without worry but would also have made the area seem less deserted, she said.
"Every week I'd either call TUPD for a ride — I often waited almost 20 minutes for them to pick me up — or the head security guard at the gym would drive me home," Parker said. "It would have been a lot easier and safer if I could have taken the Joey back to Carmichael after my shift."
Parker hopes that the petition to extend the Joey's route is successful and will relieve concerns for students who find themselves at the gym late at night in the future.
Even if the petition is submitted to the administration, though, there are many more steps to making the idea a reality, Louis Galvez III, administrative service coordinator for the Department of Public & Environmental Safety, said.
"Once we can look at it, we're going to have to do a feasibility study," he said. "If the feasibility exists, and this gives the benefit to the students that we're looking to give, then everybody is going to want that. Everybody wants to make the experience for the students the best it can be."
But there are a number of factors involved in the decision, Galvez said, some of which are not within the Tufts administration's control.
"We're going to have to take a lot into consideration. That's not our street, so we could want to do something but Medford could say no," Galvez said. "I'm in no way saying that this is a reason not to do it, but there's already discussion that the Joey takes too long to get there. So if we do add a new stop and the new stop stretches us out, we have to consider if this new stop is going to make the Joey less convenient."
Joseph's Limousine and Transportation, which provides the service, however, has no problem with a proposed extension to Cousens.
"We would be willing to do anything that Tufts asks from us to help provide convenient service for the students," Joseph Albano IV, director of customer relations at Joseph's Limousine and Transportation, said.
Now that the ball is rolling on the project, Simmons is remaining positive about its success despite potential logistical obstacles.
"If the students want to make a change and they are willingly stepping up by signing a petition, then I believe that the administration will come through," he said.
Galvez, too, thinks that the project could succeed.
"If it's possible and the benefits outweigh the negatives, there would be no reason not to," Galvez said. "We just have to find out what the benefits are and what the disadvantages are."
