Lindenwood welcomes the “Airport Shuttles for International Students” pilot, starting at the end of the 2023 – 2024 school year.
“Transportation has been an issue LSG has been advocating for over the past year,” Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Heather Black said. “They had been working with Dr. Porter on obtaining a vehicle to run weekly grocery runs and provide transportation to and from the airport.”
Being an international student is a challenge in itself. Students who come to Lindenwood from all over the world not only experience homesickness but also struggle with daily tasks like going places without owning a car and communicating with peers in a foreign language.
The support from the university is extremely important for overseas Lions. The majority of international students at Lindenwood do not own a car, therefore, transportation around the St. Charles area and even on campus has been a known issue forever.
“It means a lot for us international students that they did something like this because in most cases, our families are not around to help us,” Spanish Student Ines Camilleri said. “The final weeks of the semester are already stressful enough with having to file taxes, exams, and moving out so I think I can speak for every international student when I say that Lindenwood thinking of us for stuff like this means a lot and relieves some of that stress!”
The pilot initiative included surveys that were sent to all international students in our community to investigate their needs. The surveys asked which days and times the students had scheduled their flights back home to schedule shuttle times effectively.
“I completed a survey with international students in January to better understand the need,” Black said. “We learned 91% of international students thought it was very (13%) or extremely important (78%) to have an airport shuttle service offered, with 80% reporting a need for such a service.”
The shuttles will be implemented on the last week of the semester commencing on Friday, May 3, the date when move-outs and flights back home usually take place at Lindenwood.
The shuttle will be running hourly during the dates below:
- Friday, May 3: 5:00 am – 11:00 am
- Saturday, May 4: 5:00 am – 9:00 am
- Sunday, May 5: 8:00 am – 12:0 pm
International students will receive priority registration through April 4, but after the date, the service will be open for domestic students as well.
It is recommended that the students pick up their shuttle service considering the time needed to go through check-in, security, and customs. The shuttle will pick up students from Spellmann Center on the hour and arrive at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport on the half hour.
“The pilot will help us measure how many students are likely to use the airport service,” Black said. “We have tried to remain flexible by adjusting the times when recommended to the CDI staff, but sign-ups are low so we will open to all residential students but may adjust times if sign-ups remain low.”
The outcome of the pilot will determine how the shuttle service will continue operating in the next school years and which changes will be made for International students to make use of the service.
“Our hope is to invest in services students will use and this is a chance to see how/if one would work,” Black said. “Huge shoutout to the CDI staff, Roudina Thomsen and Keela Ross, who have taken lead to set up the details to make this pilot possible.”
International students are questioning if only airport shuttles will be included in the pilot or if grocery runs and tours around the city will be possible in the future.
“We will have shuttles to and from the airport at the end and the start of the term,” Student Body president Clayton Herbst said. However, Herbst affirmed that a shuttle program around St. Charles is not officially in the planning phase.
Registration will close once full or by April 18.
Click this link if you are interested in signing up for the pilot: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B49A9AF2DA0F5C07-48386096-2024#/
