Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Artanya Wesley reviews a checklist with Patrick Myers, who served as the trip’s student bus captain, before the departure of the inaugural “Mocs to Memphis” charter bus. Photo by Angela Foster.
As students headed out for spring break, a new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga initiative offered a convenient way to start the journey home.
On Saturday, March 14, dozens of UTC students boarded a charter bus outside the University Center as part of the pilot run of “Mocs to Memphis (and points in between),” a transportation program designed to provide safe and affordable travel for students heading west across Tennessee.
The bus departed campus shortly before 9 a.m., beginning a route that included stops in Nashville and Jackson before reaching Memphis later in the afternoon.
Thirty-four UTC students participated in the inaugural bus trip.
“This program is a spring initiative goal set forth by the Chancellor,” explained Terrence Banks, associate director of recruitment in the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. “It is a collaborative effort with EMSA partners to afford this opportunity for our students—whether they want to see family, get a break from classes or simply want to travel home stress-free.
“Our goal was to ensure students received the support they needed from their campus because every MOC moment matters.”
Organized through UTC’s Center for Student Leadership, Engagement and Community, the program was created to help students living along the Interstate 40 corridor travel home during major breaks without having to drive long distances or arrange rides.
For $55 per seat, students could reserve a spot on the charter bus, with the option to travel one-way or round-trip during spring break. In fact, three additional students registered for the return trip to campus on Sunday, March 22.
The initiative aims to make travel more accessible while also providing students with a reliable transportation option during one of the semester’s busiest travel periods.
Students loaded luggage beneath the bus before departure and gathered with friends outside the University Center as the group prepared to leave campus.
Sophomore cybersecurity major Patrick Myers served as the trip’s student bus captain, helping keep track of the passenger roster and ensuring riders safely reached their destinations along the route.
Myers, who was heading home to Memphis for spring break, said the program offers a helpful option for students traveling across Tennessee.
“I think it really helps students because Memphis is still a good bit away, over five hours, give or take,” he said, “so I think this is a good opportunity for students who may not have an easy means to get back to Memphis and places in between to have the opportunity to get there via the school.”
Myers said the trip also gave students a chance to connect with other UTC students.
“I definitely have seen some of them on campus, but this is a good way to meet them, too,” he said.
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Photo gallery by Angela Foster
