Students staying for Wintersession classes and students returning for the spring semester will have to adjust to the building of Ole Miss’ new $138 million Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education building being constructed on All-American Drive near the Pavilion.
During Wintersession
The university will be open between Dec. 12 and Dec. 21. Administrative offices will be closed Dec. 22 through Jan. 2 and will reopen Jan. 3.
All parking rules and regulations will still be enforced with the following zones except for east, west, central, south, Campus Walk and Silver Park-n-Ride lots. Student residential, garage and commuter permits will be allowed to park in any student zone whether it is commuter or residential. However, parking permits are still required for all vehicles parked on campus.
According to the department of transportation, the Park-N-Ride services will be suspended during winter break. The Gold and Brown lines will not run between Dec. 12 and Jan. 16.
Park-n-Ride permit holders may park in any student area of campus, including residential and commuter spaces. Park-n-Ride services will resume the morning of Jan. 17.
Spring Semester
After the holiday break, on Jan. 3, 2017, the Yellow and Green OUT bus lines will begin running new routes on campus, according to Richard L. Bradley, manager of administrative affairs for the department of parking and transportation.
The STEM building is set to be completed by fall 2018.
Bradley said the Yellow and Green lines will no longer circle campus but will instead stop at one of two bus stop locations and then head back off campus.
“This will accommodate the need to close All-American Drive and will limit their travel inside campus and reduce bus interactions with pedestrians and stop-and-go traffic,” Bradley said.
The Green line will provide run buses from Old Taylor Road with pickup and drop-off on campus at the Kennon bus terminal only. Additionally, the Yellow line will provide service from the Anderson Road area with pickup and drop-offs on campus at the Ole Miss Student Union bus stop only.
Bradley said that similar to the Kennon terminal, the Union bus stop will become a major bus terminal by fall 2017 when the new section of the Union building opens. An internal campus bus loop will begin operating at that time.
The Yellow express line will continue to run the current route and service Campus Walk Apartments and Hathorn Road, but it will have a second bus added and run through 9 p.m. on the weekdays. The line will be renamed since it will no longer be associated with the Yellow line in the fall, according to Bradley.
The university will put up signs at all bus stops that will be affected by these changes.
Brett Shea, a senior political science major, said he was planning to cut through on All-American Drive for several of his classes, but as long as it is to better Ole Miss, he says he is OK with adding a few extra minutes to his commute.
“It won’t hurt it too bad except for days where I’m needing to get across campus,” Shea said. “It will more than likely cause me to have to leave for school a couple minutes earlier than usual, but I don’t see it being too bad of an inhibitor.”
