Students explore different ways to get up the Hill

Hendersonville, Tenn., sophomore Mariah Gonzalez rode her longboard Wednesday on Normal Street. Students on campus at WKU use various forms of transportation around the Hill. Some do it for fun and others, for efficiency. Alyse Young and Shaban Athuman/HERALD

Tommy Sullivan

Although there’s only one Hill on campus, there are plenty of ways to reach the top. Here’s a list of students’ preferred modes of transportation on campus.

Bikes

Some students like to ditch the walking and pedal their way to class. Bikes are fast, maneuverable and easy to store.

“I ride halfway up the hill, then walk,” said Nikki King, a sophomore from Louisville. “I can get places quicker.”

King lives on the bottom of the Hill. She likes to sleep in when possible, and the bike allows her to do this.

Buses

For some students, the bus doesn’t just mean a trip to Glasgow campus or the store; it means a relaxing ride on the Hill from top to bottom — from Cherry Hall to Gary Ransdell Hall. Freshman Lauren Campbell from Hopkinsville, her first presentation looming, took the bus last week to avoid entering class soaked from the pouring rain.

She said she likes the bus because it’s always on time. Another plus, she claimed, is that there is always an open seat.

Most lines stop in front of Gary Ransdell Hall and continue up Normal Drive, stopping along the way before leaving campus.

Advanced technology

A few students have taken full advantage of modern innovation.

Traveling on their electric unicycles and hoverboards, they are on the frontier of personal transportation.

“It would be something cool to have,” admitted freshman Bailey Dahlquist of Chicago when he was researching his new electric unicycle.

Dahlquist has one of the fastest models on the market; it can reach speeds of 12 mph.

“I’m impressed with how it works,” said Dahlquist.

Utilizing unicycles helps riders keep their balance.

Aaron Brzowski, a sophomore from Owensboro, bought his unicycle online about three weeks ago.

Brzowski said he can operate his unicycle with ease. When you lean back and forth, it takes you where you want to go, he said.

“It’s pretty agile,” said Brzowski. “I can go through places cars can’t go.”

Skateboard

Riding a skateboard requires a lot of practice and can be dangerous, but once mastered, it’s a great option for students.

Roller skates

Roller skates are fairly rare, but they aren’t completely obsolete. Compact, fast and efficient, they may be one of the most underrated modes of transportation.

On foot

Plenty of students are old fashioned and go with the classic technique of one foot in front of the other.

There’s no bus to miss, unicycle to charge or bike to break down.

Walking — and if you’re late, running — is the most popular way to get up the hill even though it is one of the most tiring and time-consuming options.