The Atypical Stereotype

Undefined.

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The "Church Boy" sings praises to Southern during finals week

While some seniors still feel some sort of anxiety at the mere thought of finals, freshman Eric "Church Boy" Clinton doesn’t have a nervous bone in his body…well maybe one.

“I’m not nervous at all about taking any finals,” Clinton said. “I’m expecting to do great on them because they’re all very easy, especially being a freshman.”

They are all very easy, except for one. While the majority of his classes come easy to him, like math and philosophy, economics is no cake walk.

“Economics, I’m very worried about because economics is one of my hardest subjects. I have Dr. Savage, who is a savage, I love her though,” Clinton said.

Although economics may be a challenge for him, Clinton has been hitting the books with a study group, which he hopes will lead to successful outcomes on all of his finals.

“I make sure that I have people around me who want to succeed,” Clinton says.

“By having people around me who want to succeed I know that there is a greater chance I will succeed and less chance of me failing, I mean if you hang around people who fail, you’re going to fail. So, I surround myself around really intellectual people, so I can get where I need to be.”

Most students look forward to end of finals or more so the winter break that follows, but for Clinton that time will be bittersweet, as he heads back to Middletown, Conn. for the holidays.

“I’m not ready to go home, I don’t know what I’m going to do at home. I know what I was going to do here, there is so many people here.”

He continues.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do for a month, it’s going to be crazy. I like classes, I like seeing people and I love meeting people and doing things and clubs, so, it’s going to be weird to go home. But, it’s alright because I love it anyway,” he said.

Clinton plans to return to Southern for the spring semester, with many plans in mind.

Southern has become a good place to be and do various, multiple things. I’ve made so many friends here,” he said.

“I’m moving up in ranks very fast, very quickly, so I’m trying to get a job by next semester and do all these other things and probably an RA by my sophomore year. So, beautifulness on everything.”

Listen to the full interview below...

Photo Credit: Clinton (center) plays Henry Higgins in Higgins in Harlem at the Lyman Center. Photo courtesy of Southern Connecticut State University on Facebook.

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Population X: Transit injuries in CT's most populated cities

In 2012, injuries in CT Transit's New Haven division skyrocketed to 132, 97 of them being passenger related. Fast forward to 2014, while the injuries have dropped by 68.18 percent to 42 total injuries it still remains that New Haven has the most injuries n average in all of CT Transit’s divisions in Connecticut’s most populated cities for the last five years.

“New Haven is notorious around the state not just for us but just in general for being a litigious community where people are likely to…every little thing is likely to turn into a lawsuit,” said David Lee, the general manager for CT Transit.

New Haven is the second most populated city in Connecticut and first most populated city of CT Transit’s divisions with an estimate of 130,660 residents calculated by the State of Connecticut’s Department of Public Health in 2013. While CT Transit does not own a division in Bridgeport, it is Connecticut’s most populated city with 147,216 residents and its transit system, Greater Bridgeport Transit has had less injuries in the majority of the last five years with an exception of 2011 and 2013.

The Federal Transit Administration maintains a National Transit Database that tracks different data for transit systems across the nation. Under their injury category, they track passengers, revenue facility occupants, operators, other workers, bicyclists, pedestrians in crossing, pedestrians not in crossing, other vehicle occupant, trespasser, suicide, and other non-bus related injuries.

While the aforementioned claims are recorded, CT Transit is not necessarily at fault, every claim is reviewed before further action is taken.

“You do have to separate from claims that are clearly legitimate and we're going to pay, claims that are legitimate and someone else is going to pay because the car crashed into the bus, or claims we're going to dispute and where you may not know for years until the case is adjudicated, whether there's going to be a cost or not,” Lee said.

Although injuries may be plenty, fatalities across the divisions have been practically non-existent. In the last five years both New Haven and Hartford have seen one fatality each; New Haven in 2011 and Hartford in 2013.

January 12, 2011, West Haven resident, Pamela Caddell-Boyd lost her life in a three-car accident involving a CT Transit bus; CT Transit was not at fault.

April 11, 2013, Homer Bell Jr. was struck by a CT Transit bus in Hartford, it was ruled a suicide.

“Knock on wood there are very few serious injuries and in the last 30 years that I’ve been here,” Lee said.

“There’s been three fatalities and those are horrific but relatively speaking that's a good safety record.”

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Connecticut Department of Transportation transit administrator, Mike Sanders joined a panel of Connecticut transportation officials at the Connecticut Association for Community Transportation, November 18.

Sanders discussed the transportation budget and the struggles he faces as the DOT's "money man."

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The Oxymoronic Road to Nowhere

Today, I tried to use public transportation to get a meeting about public transportation and it was near impossible.

The meeting was a transit roundtable hosted by the Connecticut Association for Community Transportation. The panel, moderated by CACT executive director, Mary Tomolonius included Michael Sanders, a transit administrator for the Connecticut Department of Transportation; Joe Carbone, President and CEO The Workplace; Tony Rescigno, President of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and more transportation heavyweights. The panel discussed accessibility, upgrades, budget, and the future of Connecticut transportation.

According to Google Maps, I live approximately 4.2 miles, a 15 minute drive from the Greater New Haven Transit District's garage in Hamden at 1014 Sherman Ave, where the meeting took place. Yet, for me to get back and forth from the meeting it took a $16 cab ride, a 2.2 mile walk, two relatively short bus rides and a piece of my sanity.

I don't drive. While I have a permit I have yet to take steps that will allow me that privilege because frankly driving scares the hell out of me. But, I must admit today's journey through the frigid fall air of 34 degrees might make me reconsider.

At first glance, the address seemed familiar and I recalled it being relatively close, so I presumed the cab ride would be $10 at most. Plus, with the time winding down, a cab was my quickest option.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Like myself, the cab driver recognized the address and presumed he knew what direction to go. What we soon learned, there is a difference between the familiar, Sherman Parkway and the great unknown, Sherman Avenue. So, this time with GPS in hand, we made a U-turn and headed in the right direction...30 minutes late.

Upon my arrival, the big wigs of Connecticut transportation debated the budget and had Sanders, "the money man" on the defensive. While, Sanders crunched numbers and crushed my hope for a more convenient bus system, I wondered how I was going to use that same bus system to return home from the middle of nowhere.

At the meetings end, while all the panelist drove away in their cars, I began my search on foot to find the nearest bus stop, which I eventually found, a half mile away.

I reached the random dilapidated bus stop, at 11 a.m. and attempted to read the weathered paper bus schedule in its yellowed display case. I had no idea where I was and with my phone service temporarily off for the moment, GPS was not an option.

So, I did what anyone in my situation would do...guess. I could at least make out that it was J-Bus schedule. Luckily, it was still morning because those times were the only times visible on the schedule. But, the fact still remained, I had no idea where I was, at least in correlation to the bus route. Therefore, using the process of elimination, I knew I wasn't in Cheshire nor was I at the Hamden Plaza, so I figured I was somewhere in between, which left the Hamden Hills. While, I have never heard of the Hamden Hills previous to reading the schedule, it sounded plausible. The schedule read that the bus would reach the Hamden Hills at 11:03 a.m., great I thought, only three more minutes.

Three more minutes passed and so did the J2 bus -- on the other side of the road. I ran like a crazy woman weaving through cars, waving my hands in the air trying to catch the bus driver’s attention across the street. No luck. I continued to chase the bus as it turned the corner and drove out of sight, as if I was going to catch-up to it and give that bus driver a piece of my mind. .

At that moment, I lost any hope of getting out of the cold anytime soon. I pulled out my hideous, but exceptionaly functional gloves put my earbuds in my ears and blasted A$AP Rocky's F**ckin' Problems because that is exactly what I had at the moment...problems minus the expletive. With no car, no phone, and no bus in sight, I continued to walk with no real destination.

But, after about a half hour of walking the sidewalk-less streets of Hamden there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I saw the IHOP sign, signaling that the Hamden Plaza was near. The plaza was a familar place, a familar place with plenty of bus stops where the D-bus comes every 10 minutes.While, I still had two bus rides before I was actually reached my front door, the plaza was familiar and although I have been there many time before, I've never been more happier to see it. p>

Watch an interview with Mike Sanders from the GNHTD roundtable below...

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Don't Get Between a Man and His Bus Driver

While many people tend to criticize CT Transit, from the service to the bus drivers, Robinson disagrees with the majority.

"The bus is alright, there's nothing wrong with the bus, it's the people that get on the bus," Robinson said.

"A lot of people are drinking and smoking weed and all that."

Robinson rides the D-bus, both inbound and outbound for the majority of his comings and goings. The D gets him to Walgreens, where he works on Dixwell Avenue to his home on Circular Avenue.

This Saturday, the D chauffeured him to the Hamden Plaza to run some errands.

Robinson is especially fond of the bus drivers on his routes that he interacts with regularly.

"My bus driver that comes down Circular, he is a great person," Robinson said.

"My bus driver is outstanding, there is no improvement, they're pretty good."

See full interview below.

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To Yale and Beyond

Yalie, Anna Lee trades in her Yale shuttle pass for a city bus pass and awaits the B4 on a windy November first Sunday.

"I use Yale shuttle buses quite infrequently because I feel like it only gets you to Yale buildings," Lee said.

"I like the public bus because they get you to pretty much anywhere you want."

According to Yale's transportation site, the shuttle only goes to multiple university stops, the East Rock neighborhood, and Union Station in comparison to CT Transit's 22 local routes around New Haven.

Lee, from Dallas, Texas started Yale in 2013 and spent the following summer in New Haven, where she used the buses often.

" I think over the summer they were the most punctual, I really liked them then. I used them a lot, like everyday basically," Lee said.

But according to Lee, with the end of the summer months, punctuality became a thing of the past, when school resumed in the fall.

"This year they seem a little bit late again. But, of course, you know there's not enough bus drivers, they're overworked, etcetera," she said.

"I think they can improve on just punctuality, maybe. I think the bus fare is a little high sometimes for those who have to use it all the time; $1.50 is kind of a lot. But, besides that it's pretty good."

Watch the full interview below.

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Every Penny Counts

For Joseph Kelley, every dollar earned is one dollar closer to a new car, but between student loans and bills the city bus will be the only thing pulling up anytime soon.

"I'm saving up to get a car, for now the bus is my way of getting around until I have enough money to save up to get a car." Kelley said.

He continued.

"I just started working recently, I started working in March but with all my school loans and bills in the house its kind of hard."

The 20-year-old studies computer network management at Branford Hall Career Institute and holds down a part-time job as a manager at Conway, a discount store.

Transferring between the B-Whalley Avenue, O-Winchester Avenue, and F3-Short Beach/ Branford buses, scheduling is near impossible, Kelley states his day never goes as planned.

"They need to make schedules that they can actually follow and actually have a timeframe to consider for traffic rather than just saying in the middle of the schedule, expect delays and stuff like that," Kelley said.

"There are times buses are late by more than 10 minutes, and when the bus comes it's not packed, the driver either just came from the store or something and their going 50, 60 miles an hour down the road trying to get downtown which is cautious, but hazardous to the public transportation [passengers] people," he said.

While the Branford route is the longest of the three routes he uses daily, it seems ro be the least of worries.

"Taking the bus to Branford at times is easy. There are times when I hate it because of the heavy traffic in east haven," he said.

The B bus is a different story. He said he just hates the B bus in general, not elaborating.

Kelley says the bus and it's schedule barely fits his needs, nor the needs of other passengers.

"I think they [passengers] actually became fed up with public transportation with the raising bus fare, the new drivers who are rude and inconsiderate and the buses are not even clean to the public."

Although Kelley may have his critisms of CT Transit, right now it is the best option for his budget. He said "budget-wise it is alright" and he pays $54 for a monthly pass, instead of paying daily, saving him $39 a month. As of now he has no money saved , but projects he will be able to puchase a car within six or seven months ,now that he has recieved a promotion at work.

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Transportation Transformation

Being a CT Transit bus operator comes with it's perks, just ask newbie driver Locksley Cummingham.

"Intially, I use to be a school bus driver, so I wanted to do something that was more progressive, more hours, make more money, more stable," he said.

Previously, a school bus driver for First Student, Cummingham found he needed a change.

Cummingham has been with CT Transit for four months, driving multiple routes around New Haven. But, before he could hit the road--again, he had to go through six-weeks extensive training. he explains.

"That covers skill and procedures, farebox, defensive driving, and some other stuff and routes. Learning the routes, that's the most important thing because you can live in New Haven and you just don't know the bus routes. That's key," he said.

"I do a different route everyday for five days," Cummingham said.

"That includes; today we doing the O, that goes to the mall and to Winchester, tomorrow I might be doing the D that goes to Dixwell and East Haven; the next day, I might do the F; and the next day I might do the B, so everyday is a different thing."

While the benefits package may be enticing, the job itself can much more rewarding.

"I'm a people person so helping people along the way is what makes my day go by," Cummingham said.

"The bad thing is that you're always going to have that one obnoxious person that you have to deal with and you just have to know how to handle that and you can't let that ruin you day."

Cummingham highlights one obnoxious person in particular, who gave his fellow passengers a one-way ticket to karaoke night.

"A guy on the bus that's a singer all the way to Ansonia and he wouldn't stop singing. At first it was enjoyable; until it becomes annoying and it was annoying because of the other passengers and so I had to step in and stop it and that was my craziest one because he came back another time and he wanted to sing again and I said no I had to put a stopping to that," he said.

While he's never spent time one the passengers' side , Cummingham can see beyond the driver's seat.

"The interesting thing about it is that I've lived in Connecticut for over thirty years, never took the bus," he said.

"Just driving the bus, now I see how it really can get you places and it could be cost effective. If you travel bus and it's reliable you really don't need a car because it cheaper to go on the bus."

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The Man Who Waits

A CT Transit bus stop is the epicenter of retiree Bob Bass' world.

"It depends upon my calendar for the day, sometimes I have other directions I go to because of my agenda," Bass said."Basically, I have more free time than I have business time so I come this direction most of the time."

Day in and day out, the 65-year-old spends hours at a Putnam Place bus stop bench. He estimates he spends about 20 hours a week in the area, between the bus stop and the McDonald's across the street.

This first Sunday of October was no different. Bass spent over three hours waiting for a 5:05 p.m. 02-Winchester Avenue bus, the only O bus to drop him off at his Sylvan Avenue apartment. The previous 02 bus left at 12:20 p.m., Bass reached the bus stop roughly around 1 p.m.

But, Bass doesn't mind the wait. While he's there to wait for the bus, he stays for the conversation.

"I know a lot of people and the chit-chats great and you always learn something from people." Bass said about the passengers he converses with.

While his wait for the bus was long, he's overall satisfied with the bus service.

"There is a few little other ons and offs that they could do to re-modify some changes and make them better," he said.

He continued.

"It has its flaws, but the majority of the time it's pretty good. It gets you from point A to point B and it's a pretty inexpensive way to travel, which is a good thing," Bass said.

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If you could ride the bus with anyone dead, alive or fictional who would it be and why?

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Check out my story in the New Haven Independent today! #journalist #checkmybyline #newhaven #ctbusdiaries #jrn225

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The Rookie

Jose Resto is a new face among the city’s bus drivers for CT Transit.

“I like it, I do, I enjoy it,” he said.

Resto has been driving for CT Transit for eight months. He has a background in driving trucks for the military.

“The pros, it’s a very rewarding job, you interact with a lot of customers; a lot of different people which is great,” Resto said. The cons are that on the same level with the people, some people can be nasty. Some people you don’t want to deal with them because they’re really mean.”

Resto drives the O, D, and J buses for CT Transit.

Saturday, he drove the O, which travels downs Winchester Avenue and ends in Milford, at the Westfield CT Post Mall. He drives this bus once a week.

He said the O; along with D can be two of the more difficult routes he drives, due to their large ridership.

So far, Resto’s trips have gone without incident, but he’s had a close call.

“A passenger got on, he didn’t have the right fare and started cursing at me,” he said. “I basically said if you’re going to start curing, you’re going to have to get off my bus.”

Although he is now as bus driver, he has also spent time as a bus rider.

“I used public transportation in New York, trains and buses,” he said. “ Ours [CT Transit] is a lot better because it’s not as many buses as what they have over there. But, on the most part we’re pretty good.”

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Late Upon Arrival

Counting the minutes, Harold McMichael remains optimistic as he waits for the D5 bus on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Thirteen minutes pass its scheduled arrival time; McMichael says this is a rare occurrence for the Dixwell Avenue bus.

“Usually on Sunday they [the bus] runs fairly well,” he says.

“I don’t know why this one is late. Sometimes they have parades and whatnot downtown on Chapel Street, so they have to re-route things. But they’re usually pretty good about announcing that and letting people know where the alternative bus routes are going to be.” McMichael says.

McMichael has been riding the bus for about a year, previously using a car to commute.

“ I’ve been taking the bus on pretty much a daily basis,” he says.

“ I used to have car so at that point, I didn’t use the bus that much. I still use to take it occasionally. But, I no longer have a car now, so I take the bus fairly regularly.” McMichael says.

McMichael uses public transportation mostly to commute back and forth to Quinnipiac University, where he works a part-time job.

While the day schedule may fit his needs, it’s a race against the clock to make it home by bus at night.

“The only problem is the bus doesn’t run late enough to get me a ride back to New Haven,” McMichael says.

“I usually wind up having to commute with people I work with to New Haven or over to Hamden Plaza, where I can catch the bus back to New Haven. But other than that the bus service has been fairly good.” he says.

Regardless of the time, it’s always a perfect time for him to ride CT Transit.

“ I’m a fan of public transportation, I believe in It.” he says.

Watch full interview below.

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Next Stop: Sobriety

For Jake and Cody the city bus travels on the road to recovery.

Both men are recovering alcoholics.

While for many D-Bus passengers, the destination may be the Hamden Plaza, for a little bit of shopping; the end of the line for Jake and Cody is Yale University, where they attend their Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where the two friends met.

For Jake, who hails from Georgia, Connecticut’s bus system is a new experience.

“I didn’t really need to ride the bus in Georgia, I drove,” he says. “There is not really a bus except for in Atlanta; they had a train, so I would take that to Atlanta and walk.”

While it also Cody's first time in Connecticut, CT Transit is not his first time using public transportation.

Cody compares CT Transit to the bus system in his home state, Texas.

“Where I live in Texas, they have a bus system, it’s just really small but I notice the buses around town like all the time so they’re very efficient. But it’s not really as big as an area as New Haven either.”

Seemingly, both men have no real issue with the bus system itself, but the passengers is another story.

“There’s been a few times where there’s a few people who are just straight up mean, especially to this kid.” Jake says pointing to Cody. Cody elaborated on his run-in on the bus.

“The bus was just like really full one day, so I had to stand in the aisle and this lady just started yelling at me because she thought I was too close to her. I was like 15 feet away.” he says.

While only in town temporarily, the time spent in Connecticut is vital on their road to recovery and CT Transit will help them get there.

See the full interview and my bad video production skills here.

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The End of the Line

I’ve been riding the bus for over a decade, therefore my fellow passengers and their antics or the lack thereof pretty much go unnoticed. Usually, I’m more concerned with controlling my rambunctious 2-year-old, Jayden.

I spend my bus rides either chasing him up and down the aisle or pumping him with snacks to keep him quiet. God forbid, he does throw a tantrum, especially in closed quarters such as a bus, leaving my parenting skills to be judged by the court of public opinion.

Jayden and I on a previous bus trip.

It is frowned upon to spank your child, yet people expect you to magically mute them, like parenting is some form of mind control. Maybe I am just old school when it comes to discipline, I’ve read dozens of articles on how to make your child behave pre and mid tantrum, but in my experience nothing is as effective as a pop on the bottom. But, I digress.

Today, I travel to the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall, which locals such as myself refer to simply as the Milford mall. As much as I love to shop, I always dread the O route’s 45 minute or more ride from downtown New Haven to Milford. But, it is necessary for me to go at least once a week for my sanity—and my closet, despite the potential tantrum that might occur and the stares of disapproval that follow.

But, today on this Friday afternoon, I travel alone. No backpack full of diapers and snacks, no giant stroller, no Jayden. Just me and my thoughts. I missed the distraction of my son’s craziness. As much as I complain about his tantrums, it comes with being a mom and I love being a mom, especially his mom.

Just the day before, he left with his father, heading down south for the remainder of the year. This time alone would allow me to re-adjust to my first semester back in college after a two-year hiatus. From September to December it would just be me, my thoughts, and lonely bus rides.

My bus ride transformed into an emotional roller coaster. While the change at this time was necessary, a quiet sadness replaced his gleeful presence and this was just day two. Returning to school for me was a way out of minimum wage hell, better known as McDonalds to most. Although, I tend to climb the corporate ladder rather quickly at the fast food chain, saying “Hi, welcome back! My name is Ratasha, how may I help you?” doesn’t compare to my journalistic ambitions and seeing my byline in the New York Times or some equally just-as-fabulous publication.

So, today for the greater good I ride alone.

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