In the loop

By Alex Bisberg     10/4/12 7:00pm

Inside the hedges, there are four means of transport: foot, skateboard, bike and bus. If you're anything like the rest of the undergraduate population, struggling out the door of the servery, paper cup stuffed with bacon in one hand and overflowing mug of coffee in the other, chances are the bus is your most convenient and efficient option. Luckily, there is a team of often-overlooked individuals ready to save you - and your latte - and get you to class on time. These are the Rice University bus drivers, a diverse group of workers from all walks of life dedicated to transporting students across campus. In interviews with the Thresher, they shared their experiences from the Inner Loop and beyond. 

Kenneth L. Tezeno 

Kenneth Tezeno has called Rice University his employer for the past five years, but he has only worked as a bus driver for the past eight months. Tezeno originally worked in the university mailroom until a series of layoffs left him without a job, but with a choice. 

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"Actually, it wasn't my decision; they had budget cuts in the mailroom," Tezeno said. "It just so happened that I still had my Commercial Driver's License from when I drove trucks a few years back. They had a position, so they went ahead and switched me over. It's been good ever since."

Tezeno now enjoys engaging with students as they board and depart the bus. He said one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is the contact with young individuals from around campus. Typical conversations consist of a variety of topics, ranging anywhere from home life to classes to sports, especially his favorite hometown teams, the Texans and the Astros, which he catches up on while at home with his three children. 

"I prefer [the daytime] shift; it's hard to get any sleep during the day. I was trying to go to school and take care of my family." Tezeno said. "I just finished my associate's [degree]; I'm finally trying to take a break for the fall, but hopefully in the spring I can start back up on my bachelor's degree."

However, Tezeno hasn't been held back by the lack of his degree. He's already started his own business and looks forward to maintaining it. 

"It's a corporation that I've started called K&J Entertainment," Tezeno said. "I've gotten into videos and music because I want to encourage the younger generation not to get into adult situations and show them how to get out of them if they do happen to."

Tezeno described an incident that occurred while he was a driver on the night shift that reveals the perspective adults on campus might have toward Rice's traditions. While the drivers are an integral part of the Rice University staff, they are not initiated to the university's traditions the way new students are during O-Week. 

"The first few nights I was an escort driver from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and between Baker [College] and the library stops, there were all these kids with whipped cream all over them, and that was weird" Tezeno said. 

While Baker 13 may feel like second nature to runners and observers alike, to someone unfamiliar with the event, it can seem a bizarre ritual. Other strange occurrences Tezeno has witnessed happened at an unusual time, when most students were enjoying their summer vacations. 

"Rice is actually very busy during the summer time; you might not know that," Tezeno said. "We have different classes going on, different seminars going on. The summer is busy throughout the whole, whereas during the regular semester, it's just in spurts. 

Various groups come and stay on campus throughout the harsh Houston summer. Tezeno said that Teach for America was an especially rowdy bunch. 

"Friday nights were their night," Tezeno said. "They partied."

As a whole, though, Tezeno said he appreciates the student body here. 

"Sometimes they need a pep talk, and sometimes they need to pep me up; it goes both ways," Tezeno said. 

Yolanda Wright 

Yolanda Wright's excitement is contagious. Her spirit flows through her laugh and her hearty welcomes as students step onto her bus. She calls herself a bus driver by trade, and 10 months ago, she traded in her seat after 10 years on a yellow school bus filled with screaming elementary children to drive the Inner Loop shuttle at Rice. 

This transition was partially by chance, but Wright seems fully satisfied with her decision in choosing Rice University as the home of her new job. 

"My husband was surfing the Internet; I was working at METRO at the time," Wright said. "He said, 'Maybe you'll like this.' I liked the pay, so I filled out the application, and here I am."

Wright's experience has been extremely positive so far. 

"I love driving buses," Wright said. "I love the people. Being right here with you now, I'm having fun."

She went on to speak about the great mutual respect she felt she and the students had for each other. 

"Rice is Rice," Wright said. "Like I said, everyone here is well-disciplined - the adults and the undergraduates. The students are never rude, they know that I can handle myself, and they respect me fully."

Undergraduates make up the bulk of her bus riders, and while she sees around 500 riders a day, she still recognizes a few as regulars. One of her favorite spots, Duncan Hall, is also the most crowded. 

"I call it the famous Duncan Hall," Wright chuckled. 

After Duncan Hall, the endeavors of Rice students are clear based on the other most popular stops. She emphasized that as a whole, Rice students seem to be a studious and responsible bunch. 

"I have never seen so much studying in my life," Wright said. "The library is definitely used, and the Rice Memorial Center is where students congregate."

With kind and caring bus drivers like these, transportation around Rice's campus is as enjoyable as it is easy. 

"Bus driving is what I do, and I enjoy the youth." Wright said. 

If the traffic is light and you need a friendly person to talk to, your Rice bus driver will be there. 

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