Navigating Chambana

Navigating Chambana Hey guys, If you havent visited campus yet, when you do, one of the first things youll notice about it is its sheer size! Illinois  houses around 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and has three quads that span over 15 blocks. Now, 15 blocks doesnt sound like such a big deal, but when you have two classes on opposite sides of campus with only 10 minutes to get from one to the other, 15 blocks becomes a very big deal when there are torrential downpours or its below freezing out. (A map of campus found at http://www-app.igb.illinois.edu/bioinformatics/travel.html) Thankfully, Illinois  has an amazing bus system through MTD (Mass Transit District). These buses traverse all across campus: downtown Champaign, downtown Urbana, to the mall, to Savoy; they  can get you almost anywhere on and off campus in the Champaign-Urbana area. And the best part of it all, as a student you dont have to pay for a single bus ever! Its one of the many great perks of coming to  Illinois. Now at first, the list of bus routes will seem daunting indeed. Theyll all just seem like a jumble of colors and numbers and directions, but another great part of this perk is  the bus drivers of MTD. For the most part, the bus drivers are very patient and understanding people, and are more than willing to assist and direct a lost traveler to the correct bus. So, with a little practice and gaining some familiarity with the campus, navigating Chambana will soon become second nature to you all. Until next time guys, Kenny Kenny Class of 2016 I’m in the Creative Writing program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I’m originally from Tampa, Florida, but I’ve been calling Illinois my home since 1998. I’ve lived all over the Northwest suburbs, from Palatine to Lakemoor to where I currently live back home, Mundelein.