Newspaper Page Text
Statistics class counts
Athens Transit riders
Data used
for contract
By MARCUS FLOYD
The Red & Black
Bus riders, are you ready
to be counted?
Statistics students in
the capstone class for the
mqjor are tasked with
counting how many stu
dents ride the University
and Athens Transit bus
systems.
Nicole Lazar, statistics
professor at the University,
said the capstone students
will ride the bus at random
and relevant times of day
and count the students
who ride.
The students will also
count the number of peo
ple who swipe their
University IDs and only
ride the Athens Transit
Bus system to and from
locations on campus.
“The students will col
lect the data this semester,
and analyze it in the
spring,” Lazar said.
The process is not per
fect, she said, because
when the buses are crowd
ed the students may miss
some people.
Normally, the capstone
classes create their own
project for the course.
However, Ronald Hamlin,
manager for campus tran
sit, gave this project to the
class.
Hamlin said this is the
second year the transit
system has needed to col
lect data on its ridership
after becoming a member
of the National Transit
Database.
“The National Transit
Database requires that
your ridership numbers be
DROPOUTS DATA
The University loses millions
of dollars each year on first
year tmdergraduate students
who do not return for a
second year.
2004: $3.5 Million
2005: $3.0 Million
2000: $3.3 Million
2007: $3.8 Miffon
2008: $3.8 Million
- coNegemeasures.com
RETENTION:
Money
worries
dropouts
> From Page 1
to taxpayers for students
who do not complete col
lege.
The cost per student at
the University is $11,557.
This places the
University in the 20th per
centile rank among all col
leges.
The average cost per
student nationwide is
$17,438.
In addition, students
who only complete some
college are shown to earn 5
percent to 10 percent more
than those who did not
attend college at all.
However, students who
don’t finish college could
still be faced with the bur
den of student loans.
And without a college
degree, they may not be
able to get a job to pay
back those loans
“I don’t feel like for what
I want to do with my life I
need a degree,” said Justin
Carter; who withdrew from
classes the last semester of
his senior year in 2009. ”1
knew I was supposed to be
in Athens still, but I want
ed to do some sort of min
istry. The only reason I was
in school the last semester
was to appease my grand
parents.”
Carter who is now an
intern with the Wesley
Foundation said he does
carry the burden of paying
for the student loans he
has accrued.
”1 think that’s the big
gest thing that’s a con
cern,” he said. “I don’t
think 111 ever make a lot,
so paying off the debt I
accrued in student loans is
difficult.”
95 percent accurate, and
we are not sure that we are
there,” Hamlin said.
A benefit to being a part
of the NTD is the Athens
Transit System gains
access to federal money to
help with operations,
Hamlin said. With the
money, the transit system
will be able to obtain new
buses and maintain bus
shelters.
The data will also help
the University negotiate its
contract with the Athens
Transit System, Hamlin
said. The Campus Transit
System is asking for a dis
count on ridership that is
entirely on campus, some
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thing Hamlin said Athens
Transit would be willing to
consider if they could see
the numbers.
The Campus Transit
System received money
from the NTD for four new
buses, but the campus sys
tem is sub-recipient to the
Athens Transit System
when it receives money
because the campus sys
tem is seen as the second
ary transit system for the
Athens area, Hamlin said.
By using the data the
capstone class will collect,
the Campus Transit
System is hoping to
become a grantee on its
own, Hamlin said.
NEWS
L.
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* £ f-t V~ -'I
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MICHAEL HARRIS i TANARUS Rio * Bun
▲ Riders board an Athens bus. A statistics class will count students on
Athens buses to earn the University a discount for campus-only riders.
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October 20, 21, & 22
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MLC (across from Jittery Joes)
10 a.m. - 4 p.m,
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Thb Red a Black | Tuesday, October 19, aoio
5