Michael Salvato, Freshman, Entreprenuership
Students at California Baptist University used various wheels to get from class to class, from dorm to dinner and anywhere the sidewalks or occasional road could take them. While some transportation involved riding around campus on wheels, walking also remained a popular choice among CBU students. Whatever mode of travel students chose, each came with its own benefits and experiences.
Lucy Mulder, sophomore elementary education major, chose to ride around campus on a scooter. To avoid crowded sidewalks, she often took the roads and built camaraderie with fellow scooter riders and motorists.
Owning a scooter not only provided social interaction for Mulder but also saved time. Rob, as Mulder affectionately named her scooter, proved helpful when she rushed to reach places before they closed.
“I can remember countless times, getting Rob out, [and] scootering here right before Chick-fil-A closes,” Mulder said.
While scooters helped shorten the commute to class, Micah Lokensgard, freshman exercise science major, chose to ride a skateboard around campus. After learning to skateboard when he was younger, he said using it on campus felt natural.
“It definitely saves time, which is really nice,” Lokensgard said.
Lokensgard said the ability to move quickly around campus proved useful. However, he also noted that stopping to talk with people could be difficult while riding. Fortunately, he said many of his friends also rode skateboards.
On the sidewalks, Noelle Cybart, freshman business administration major, preferred walking around campus. As a dancer, Cybart said she had always enjoyed exercise and appreciated the opportunity to walk across a large campus.
“I get to walk and just breathe in the fresh air and see my friends,” Cybart said.
Lauri Hauck, instructor of kinesiology, who specializes in physical education, discussed the benefits of each form of transportation. She said the benefits varied depending on the goal but emphasized one important idea.
“Really, the best choice is what the student enjoys, because if we enjoy it, we go back. If we go back, we get health,” Hauck said.
Students who enjoyed an activity were more likely to continue it than if they felt forced to do it. Hauck said this idea mattered especially for daily habits such as moving around campus.
When it came to movement and exercise, Hauck also emphasized the importance of building consistent habits.
“I think small and consistent is even probably more important than intensity. Because the small, consistent ways build patterns and behaviors,” Hauck said.
Each form of transportation offered different benefits while allowing students to move across campus in creative ways. Whether a student chose to skate along the road with Lokensgard, walk across the sidewalks with Cybart or glide to Chick-fil-A with Mulder, each option offered its own advantages.
