BIDDEFORD — University of New England President Danielle Ripich was greeted with a hug by Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant as she stepped off of the school’s intercampus bus in front of the Harold Alfond Forum Ice Arena on Wednesday morning.
The bus had just made the 23-mile trip from UNE’s Portland Campus, where it was given a send-off by Portland Mayor Michael Brennan, to the school’s Biddeford Campus.
The bus itself, which shuttles students and faculty from UNE’s Biddeford Campus to the city’s downtown area, up to its Portland Campus and back again, isn’t new; it started running last fall, said Ripich. But, as if to start off the spring 2015 semester with a spark of new life, the bus has received what you might call a makeover.
As crowds of dozens gathered in the two cities to catch a glimpse of the 60-seat behemoth, many chattered about the bus’s new look, enthusiastically declaring it a “moving billboard.”
“We want the message of UNE to go around,” said Ripich of the newly wrapped bus. “We want people to know we’re here. We think we’re one of the best-kept secrets in Maine, and we’re still building the idea of UNE for people.”
On the right side of the bus, students are pictured engaged in academic activities, such as laboratory bench work and marine-science fieldwork, while the left side celebrates the university’s sports teams, picturing student athletes and a cloud-and-lightning-bolt logo that reads, “UNE Nor’easters.”
The mobile advertisement touts UNE with the phrases “Building Maine’s marine economy,” “Innovating health care education,” “Exploring global cultures,” and “#1 return on investment in Maine – Payscale.com.” In 2014, Payscale.com, a website that provides data about salaries and careers, ranked UNE first among Maine institutions, both private and public, in terms of 20-year return on investment.
The idea of having an intercampus bus was the brainchild of the school’s Environmental Council, which is made up of students, staff and faculty, said Ripich.
“The council looked at different ways to reduce UNE’s carbon footprint,” she said, “and this was one of the ideas they came up with.”
With many university employees living in the Portland area who must commute to Biddeford each day, as well as there being many students who have classes on both campuses, the bus serves as a means of eliminating all of those cars from being on the road, she said. It also serves as a way to “tie the two communities more closely together.”
“I find that the university is always cutting-edge in so many ways,” said Mayor Casavant. “This is just another example of doing something that’s environmentally correct but also something that works so well for the students.”
The intercampus bus was provided to the school through a partnership with Custom Coach and Limousine, a Portland-based transportation company, said Ripich. She said the university has had a partnership with Biddeford’s city bus line for several years, and those buses continually travel from UNE’s Biddeford Campus to the city’s downtown area and the Five Points intersection and back.
UNE students are able to use their meal cards to purchase food from several restaurants in the Saco-Biddeford downtown area, said Ripich, and with the development of the mill buildings, more students will likely be moving into downtown Biddeford ”“ so all of these connections between UNE’s campuses and that area are important.
“As the mills develop, we expect more of our students will be living in downtown Biddeford, so this bus will give them a loop to both campuses,” she said.
— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.
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