October 16, 2025
Copy by Riley Donathan
Photos by Riley Donathan
This year, the university is planning some new parking and transit initiatives to make campus life more accessible and convenient. From enhancing education and communication to increasing parking supply, these changes are designed to hopefully help everyone spend less time worrying about getting to campus while encouraging smarter ways to get around Fayetteville as a whole.
Many students like Michael Kitambi, a junior majoring in biology, use the parking and transit services frequently and are excited to see the improvements coming.
“In my opinion, public transport is probably the best thing the school can spend money on,” Kitambi said. “I believe it would reduce parking problems and make students happier overall.”
Beyond the convenience of finding a parking spot quicker, Kitambi recognized the positive impact on the environment these initiatives may lead to.
“To me, the bus is basically a big carpool for campus,” Kitambi said. “Adding more bus routes would help reduce CO₂ emissions, which makes it better for the environment, and it’s still a super easy way for students to get where they need to go.”
Behind the scenes, the parking and transit staff are finding ways to build stronger connections with students to improve communication and education around campus. Josh Godoy, a junior majoring in computer science, has noticed these efforts firsthand.
“I actually went to Lot 500, and the parking staff was giving out pizza to students,” Godoy said. “I bet this made it a lot less frustrating for the students who have to move their cars before game days because they were really kind. They let me take a whole pizza home.”
Gestures like handing out pizza and tabling around campus make students feel more supported while enhancing understanding about transportation resources, as both the school and Fayetteville grow.
“Campus keeps getting bigger and bigger while Fayetteville itself is expanding,” Godoy said. “This inherently raises the importance of transportation and the need to know and understand what resources that students have.”
Having these new initiatives in place in a city that is growing rapidly also means that students and their loved ones can feel confident knowing there are resources to help them get around safely and efficiently.
“I think it gives families a lot of ease knowing that they are not just sending people off to campus having to fend for themselves, especially for students who don’t live on campus,” Godoy said. “Knowing I can hop on the buses and see all the routes takes a lot of stress off me.”
Madison Teeter, a junior majoring in biological anthropology, explained how the updated transit initiatives can truly make a difference on campus.
“I think these new parking and transit options make getting around campus so much simpler,” Teeter said. “I can focus more on classes and activities instead of worrying about parking, and it makes campus life feel more manageable overall.”
Although the university’s parking and transit initiatives are still works in progress, students are already seeing the benefits.
“It feels like the university is really listening to students and trying to make life easier for all of us,” Teeter said. “I like that they’re improving transportation and campus resources, and I’m excited to see the changes this year.”