Two great rivals moved just a little closer together Tuesday, with the inauguration of a free bus service between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The service is sponsored by the Robertson Scholars Program, which this year began providing full scholarships to 30 students--15 from Duke, 15 from UNC--who will divide their time between the two schools. Although the students use the buses to shuttle between the campuses, the service is available to anyone with a Duke or UNC ID.
"It's our hope that faculty, staff and students at both institutions will use the Robertson shuttle bus to take advantage of opportunities on the other campus that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do, things like taking classes on the other campus, attending lectures on the other campus or using the libraries on the other campus," said Eric Mlyn, director of the Robertson Scholars Program.
The buses run between Duke's West Campus bus stop and UNC's Morehead Planetarium parking lot, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Buses began running Tuesday about once every 30 minutes, and every hour on weekends; the full schedule is available at www.robertsonscholars.org/bus.shtml.
Mlyn expressed hope that by facilitating everyday interactions, the buses will increase the feeling of community between the often-intense rival schools.
"There's a whole variety of interactions that don't take place because of transportation and parking problems," he said.
The Robertson Scholars Program--which is picking up the $340,000 tab for the bus system--begins this fall after a $24 million shared gift to the two universities last year from Julian Robertson, a 1955 UNC graduate, and his wife Josie. One of their sons graduated from Duke in 1998, and another son graduated from UNC in the spring.
Aside from taking classes on both campuses, the 30 students will participate in a number of other activities designed to build community along Tobacco Road, including service-learning opportunities and bi-weekly dinners.
The official launch of the bus system is set for 9:30 a.m. next Friday, when President Nan Keohane and UNC Chancellor James Moeser will ceremonially board a bus at Duke and ride the 10.7 miles to Chapel Hill.
"We fully expect this remarkable academic program to build on the many collaborative relationships that already exist between our two fine institutions and to promote interaction between our student bodies," Keohane said in a statement. "The bus service is a vital part of making this happen."
Some students unaffiliated with the scholarship program have already begun to make plans around the bus system.
Dan Kselman, a first-year graduate student in political science at Duke, cited an agreement his department has with its UNC counterpart where graduate students can take seminars at either school.
"I go to Duke and am planning to take some classes at UNC, so [the buses] make sense," he said. "I don't want to pay for a car, and ideologically it's best not to pollute the environment by driving."
Joyce Wagner, who drives one of the Robertson buses, said that so far her trips have averaged only about two passengers
She added, "I think there'll be more, especially once classes start."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.