Regardless of what kind they are, Graduate Student Senate wants the university to offer wheels to shuttle students to the Athens Farmers Market.
At last night’s meeting, GSS passed a resolution to submit to college officials and other student organizations in favor of university-sponsored transportation to the Athens Farmers Market.
“There are a lot of students who just don’t have accessibility to the farmers market,” GSS President Tracy Kelly said. “This is a fun, healthy, great opportunity for students to experience Athens in a positive way.”
The resolution requests the university collaborate with OU Transportation and Parking Services, the Office of Sustainability and GSS to “develop an affordable and sustainable transportation” for students.
Although the Farmers Market is open Wednesday and Saturday, Kelly said the transportation would ideally be offered Saturday and would pick students up on campus and take them to the Farmers Market on State Street. However, Kelly is still unsure of what type of transportation it will be.
“I think students could really benefit from this,” said Maria Behnke, GSS commissioner for women’s affairs. “It’s really important for Athens, too, for students to support locally grown produce.”
The Office of Sustainability conducted a survey on behalf of GSS at its mini-market, held Sept. 23, which served as the research foundation of the resolution. Of the students surveyed, 63.5 percent said they would use the transportation if it were available.
“I think it would be great to get people down there,” said Marcus Fila, a graduate student studying psychology. “I just don’t think the number that wants to is that many.”
He also questioned the logistics of the transportation.
“I think if it is offered, it has to run at fairly regular intervals,” Fila said. “Otherwise, businesses are just going to end up getting cheesed off at students who can’t get back to campus.”
If the university begins offering transportation to the Farmers Market, that does not mean mini-farmers markets will disappear from OU’s campus.
“One doesn’t cancel the other,” Kelly said.
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