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Welcome to UVM and
Burlington!
We are so glad that you have chosen UVM as the
place to continue your education! As a new transfer student there is
much
to navigate
both on and off campus. We hope that the articles below will help you
get your bearings as you begin to explore all the exciting
opportunities UVM and Burlington have to offer. If you ever have
questions or concerns regarding off-campus life please don't hestitate
to contact us!
Director OSCR - Gail Shampnois, 656-1103
Off-Campus Services - Alicia Taylor, 656-9405
If you
are a
first or second year transfer student living off-campus, you can
continue to receive the Off-Campus Life newsletter by sending an email
to Gail Shampnois. (Note:
Third and fourth year transfer students should automatically receive
this monthly newsletter)
Getting
Connected
On & Off Campus
A great way to get involved on campus is to join a
student
club
or organization. The Lynx is
your one-stop-shop for getting plugged in. It is the home of all
Student Government Association organizations  and a number of other
student groups on campus. Every club has a page featuring a profile and
contact information. The Lynx also has event postings,
including a
flyer board, and news articles so that you can find out what's up
around campus. Start by visiting www.uvm.edu/clubs
and then click on the log-in button and enter your UVM net-ID and
password (the same as your email account). Complete the profile page
and submit. Just like that you are a part of the system!
Or if you would like to talk to someone in person
you can always swing by the Student
Life Office in the Davis
Student Center and ask
about how you can get plugged in. Whether you are interested in community service opportunties, outdoor
adventures, club
sports, student government,
music and entertainment, or student media, UVM has a
myriad of ways to get connected.
If you are living off-campus and want to become
more involved in the local community stop by a monthly Student-Neighbor
Liaison potluck, join the Community
Coalition or check out opportunities at the Center
for Community and Neighborhoods. Also, chances are good that dozens of
your neighbors and classmates are connected to each
other
online via a local invention called Front Porch Forum. You can join
the
conversation and find out through email what is happening in your
neighborhood and throughout the city by SIGNING UP at http://frontporchforum.com
and POSTING a message or two.
The "What's Good?" Guide to Life in
B-town
If you want to find out what is happening in
Burlington  pick up the latest edition of Seven
Days Newspaper. It is a free weekly paper that all the locals swear
by. You will find free stands in the Davis Student Center, Waterman, as
well as various downtown locations. The paper comes out on Wednesday
and
discusses everything from local politics to upcoming shows.
Seven Days also recently published "What's Good? The Students' Guide to
Off Campus Life in Burlington." This guide has a pretty
comprehensive list of everthing that makes Burlington a really
great place to live. It includes tips on good restaurants, fun things
to
do throughout the year (festivals, road trips, outdoor escapes!),
general info about VT, places to hangout, where to go to listen to
music, etc. It is definitely worth checking out if you are new to town.
One thing the guide doesn't mention is where to
buy groceries. To find a list of all the local
grocery stores you can do a google map search and get
driving/busing directions.
Transportation
Options
Burlington is a very compact city and luckily
getting to
and from campus is completely doable without use of a personal vehicle!
Walking is always a great option and a wonderful
way to get to know the neighborhood where you live and become more
familar with the city. However, if you are running late to class and
need a quicker
means try the options below.
Take the City Bus!
UVM students, faculty, and staff ride the CCTA
city buses for free courtesy of UVM! Just swipe your UVM ID and enjoy a
comfortable heated or air conditioned trip up the hill to campus. The
College Street Shuttle is a popular choice for students and is a
great way to get from campus to downtown or
vice versa. It runs every 15 minutes
from 7:30AM to 6PM and then every 30 minute
until 7PM. You can even take your bike on all city buses if
you
need a more direct route home! For more information on additional bus
routes and
schedules please visit the CCTA
website.
Take the UVM Shuttle!
UVM also runs an on and off campus shuttle service
which is free for students. This includes a late-night shuttle service
on Friday and Saturday nights until 2:30am! For more information
on shuttle routes and hours visit the Transportation and
Parking
Services website.
Ride a Bike!
Biking is a great way to get were you need to go  quickly. Burlington has a East/West
designated bike lane on College St. and North/South bike lanes on
Willard St.,
Union St., and parts of Winooski Ave. If you choose to ride here are
some good
safety tips to keep in mind.
-
Wear a helmet. If you buy a Bicycle
Benefits sticker, put it on your helmet, and bring it to
participating business you get a sweet discount!
-
Ride with traffic and treat stop signs,
traffic lights, and one-way streets as if you were driving a car.
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Signal your intentions before you stop, turn,
or change lanes.
-
Keep your ears open for hearing
traffic
(don't use
an ipod or cell phone).
-
Yield to pedestrians and warn before you pass.
Use extra caution around kids and dogs.
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Be visible. Wear bright colors, use head and
tail lights at night.
-
Ride predictably - in a straight line, don't
swerve between parked cars & watch for opening car doors.
-
Report dangerous drivers to the
police (description of the incident, a license
plate #, make, model, time, and place).
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When you are driving or in a car with someone
else remember to share the road and be mindful of pedestrians and
cyclists.
For more information about bike and pedestrian
advocacy in Burlington visit Local
Motion and download their FREE
$6 safety gear coupon here. The safety tips above were taken
from Vermont Bicycle and
Pedestrian
Coalition.
Or You Can Always Call a Cab!
Taxi cabs are a quick and convenient way to get
where you need to go in a pinch. Although there are many taxi companies
in Burlington, (including the Green
Cab VT which runs exclusively
on biodiesel!!) the following companies accept catscratch which makes
life a little easier:
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Benways Taxi - (802) 862-1010
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Friendly Fare Taxi - (802) 310-8822
-
Morf Transit - (802) 862-1010
Don't Get Towed!
If you do choose to have a car in Burlington and
do not have off-street parking, be aware of the local snow ban and
street
maintenance parking bans — Burlington maintains a warning system of
yellow lights mounted on utility poles throughout the  city. These
lights are activated when a snow parking ban is declared or when street
maintenance, such as sweeping, will occur. When the lights are on,
parking is prohibited on any street in the residential areas from
10:00PM to 7:00AM and in the downtown/Church Street Marketplace areas
from 12:00 midnight to 6:00AM . This prohibition allows snow removal
crews to effectively clear city streets of snow and restore them to
operating efficiency. Residents are permitted to park in any city-owned
parking garage from 10PM to 7AM with no charge. Please do not park on
the top level of any garage in order that it, too, can be plowed.
Vehicles found on the street will be towed to the
nearest street the Public Works Department designates as a drop off
point. This would be a street that has been cleared of snow. Vehicles
towed or found in violation of the snow
ban or street maintenance ban will be ticketed ($95.00 fine). Vehicles
found with more than $49.00 in outstanding fines or previous winter tow
tickets will be impounded until payment is made.
To subscribe to the Burlington Parking Ban
Notification Listserv send an email to burlingtonparkingban-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
go to www.bpdvt.org, or
call 802-658-SNOW (802-658-7669).
Low
Cost
and No Cost Energy Saving Solutions!
As you have probably noticed it can be very cold in Burlington. When you combine that with old
housing, energy costs can get out of control. However, you can save
some
$$$ this winter by following the tips
below!
-
Heating: Wear
clothing appropriate for the weather and keep the thermostat on the
lowest setting that maintains comfort. You can save 3% of your
heating costs for each degree you set your thermostat back
(make sure
to keep heat above 55 degrees to avoid frozen water pipes!). A lot of
energy escapes through leaks. To prevent the loss of energy, ask
your landlord if you can weatherstrip doors and windows. Installing
plastic
sheeting on the inside of all windows improves heat retention.
Window insulation kits are available at most hardware stores for
$10-$13 dollars and can cover up to 6 windows.
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Appliances/Electronics: Many
appliances and electronics consume electricity while they are
“off”, especially appliances with clocks and lights that remain on
while the unit is not in use. The electrical demands from such
appliances are known as “phantom loads,” and they constitute an
estimated 5% of domestic energy use. Save energy and money by making a
conscious effort to unplug these devices while they are not in use.
Utilize “sleep” settings on computers. Make sure to turn off
equipment during extended lengths of inactivity.
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