By: Ellen Siefke ~Head Copy Editor~

The Student Government Association has announced the schedule for its weekend shopping shuttle, which will run every Saturday throughout the school year.

Returning students will notice a few changes, the biggest being the addition of Oakley Station.

According to Debbie Romanello, an administrative assistant for the Office of Student Involvement (OSI), the stop at Oakley was implemented for its combination of stores such as Kroger, Target and Meijer, new restaurants like MOD Pizza, which is set to open in mid-September, as well as Cinemark theater.

Local Cincinnatians may recall from a year ago the opening of that Kroger, which entailed a $28 million investment by the company and was lauded for including such features as a sit-down bistro.

Another change of note is a shortening of the run time — instead of operating from noon to 7 p.m. as in previous years, the start time was pushed back an hour to 1 p.m.

Romanello explained this change came about because more students were utilizing the shuttle later in the day as opposed to right at noon.

The inclusion of Oakley Station means that each loop will last about an hour, beginning with pickup at Fenwick Place in front of Currito, followed by the stop in Oakley in front of Kroger and then Kenwood Towne Center at the North Face Entrance by Forever 21. Loops will begin on the hour at Fenwick.

The shuttle runs continuously and ends with a final drop-off on campus at 7 p.m. A full schedule for dates and times can be found on the Student Government Association’s website.

Administrators in the office are partnering with the shuttle providers to set up 24-hour emergency line if there are questions or issues with the service, and the number will be published for students.

In the meantime, any questions can be directed by phone to the OSI at 513-745-3004 during business hours.