0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - 7A THE NEW ROUTE NAVIGATING CAMPUS WITHOUT 'THE LINK' 'r The Link, an Ann Arbor HURON bus route known best by its bright purple buses, i LBT being rep aced by a new LIBERTY University-operated ser- ~ vice for residents of the NORTH Oxford area. WILLIAM r s r The new route: Monday- Friday, before classes (7:15 - 8:10 am) and after classes (5:20 pm - 2:00 am), the Oxford Shuttle route serves Oxford Housing, Trotter House, Shapiro Library, Michigan Union, Kraus Building, CC Little, East Quad (on East University) and Hender- son House every 15 minutes. On class days (Monday - Friday, 8:10 am - 5:20 pm), the Oxford route drops the circuit around the Diag, serving CC Little, East Quad, Hender- son House, Oxford and Trotter House every 10 minutes. Upon arriving atthe Central Campus Transit Center, the bus contin- 9ues to North Campus via the Northwood Express route or the Diag to Diag Express, depending on the time of day. The former'Link' SOURCE: UNIVERSITY PARKING& TRANSPORTATION SERVICES V- I- THE DIAG r,' -VZ BUSES From Page 1A, Residence Hall and Henderson House - a co-op. During classes, between 8:10 a.m. and 5:20 p.m., the shuttle stops at C.C. Little, East Quad, Henderson House, Oxford Housing and the Trot- ter House, dropping the circuit around the Diag and increasing its frequency with 10-minute cycles. Also, during classes, the Oxford Shuttle picks up either the Northwood Express or the Diag-to-Diag Express route - both University bus routes - and continues to North Campus upon arriving at C.C. Little. The ability to go from the Oxford area to North Campus without a transfer is a huge added convenience for students, Lamb said. Public Policy junior Noah Neary, president of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity on Oxford Road, whose members frequently used the Link route to get to class during the cold win- ter months, said he prefers the old system to the new shuttle, although he said the shorter wait times are "definitely an improve- ment." "The mainhdrawback is not getting all the way to down- town," he said, adding that he and his fraternity brothers often used the Link to reach restau- rants and other businesses far- ther away from campus. Despite the loss of service to the Kerrytown and Main Street business districts, Oxford Hall Director Christopher Beyer says students should be happy about the change. "Personally, I think it's a huge improvement," he said, brushing off what he perceived as anxiety about the change among students. "I did actually see a Facebook group that was called 'Save the Link,' but they probably didn't have good infor- mation." Beyer said that in the past students have had problems get- ting to class because they would miss the Link or it would fill up before they could get a seat. Now, he said, these issues should be less prevalent because of the shorter wait times and larger buses - the Link buses were 30 feet long and the Oxford Shuttle is a 40-foot bus. Lamb believes the transition will go smoothly. "I think it will serve the stu- dents just fine," she said. 0 ix 0 LAW QUAD EAST QUAD 1 HILL STATE STREET From Page 1A Lelcaj and her staff took over the new space the first week of August and officially opened Aug. 26. Besides a change in venue, the new restaurant features an expand- ed breakfast and dinner menu, and Lelcaj said there are still more changes to come. Lelcaj also plans to acquire a liquor license that she said could be granted sometime in early 2010. If attained, Lelcaj said Sava's hours would expand, staying open until 2 a.m. As for Sava's prior home, specu- lation around the addition of a CVS/Pharmacy in the 209-211 S. State St. building has been growing since plans for the business were approved by the Ann Arbor Historic District Commission in May. According to the commission, the CVS/Pharmacy building plan - pioneered by real estate developer Velmeir Companies - is scheduled to go before the planning commis- sion on Sept. 15. Following approval from the commission, the CVS/ Pharmacy plan would still require approval from City Council. The State Street corridor has seen multiple business shifts the past year aside from Sava's move and Zanzibar's departure. Steve & Barry's apparel shop closed its doors and filed for bank- ruptcy at the end of last year. M-Den - the locally owned University of Michigan apparel store - took over the space at 303 S. State St. In addition to M-Den, Great Lakes Team Apparel at 309 S. State St. recently took over the space previously occupied by the Earl of Sandwich, expanding its collection to a 4,500-square-foot space and sporting a new name, "All About Blue." Amer's Mediterranean Deli at 312 S. State St. added the Yogurt Rush business in its store abouttwo weeks ago, after customers started demand- ing the frozen treat, according to Amer's employee Ricardo Ortiz. "The popularity of (the yogurt demand) overwhelmed us," Ortiz said. Amer's now has three machines and a self-serve toppings bar. Ortiz said there has been a steady flow of customers since the addition and the response has been "pretty posi- tive." Amer's new yogurt menu follows the addition of Swirlberry at 209 S. State St. The frozen yogurt chain previously existed only in Plum Market grocery stores - the first located in West Bloomfield and the second in Ann Arbor. Swirlberry opened about two months ago and prices by weight, just like Amer's. Swirlberry charges 65 cents per ounce and charges 49 cents per ounce. Swirlberry Manager Dave Vil- laverde said the competition from Amer's and Yogo Bliss - which opened on South University Avenue at the end of winter semester - hasn't hurt Swirlberry's business. "The fact that there's other plac- es around doesn't really affect us at all," he said. "Our product speaks for itself." Villaverde is also confident that Swirlberry - which has been lik- ened to other big city frozen yogurt stores like Pinkberry and 16 Han- dles - will come out a step above the other stores. "Imitation is the highest form of flattery," he said. Lelcaj said there is a certain "revolving door" on State Street as businesses come and go. She antici- pates a different dynamic on the street, though now that student housing is in the immediate area. 4 Eleven Lofts opened for this academic year, offering more than 300 spots for students just west of South State Street and north of East Washington Street. And the North Quad Residence Hall is set to open nearby in Fall 2010. Because the new student housing projects are north of Liberty Street, Lelcaj believes that State Street between East Washington Street and Liberty Street will see more people traffic and business. "It's always been a bit differ- ent," she said of the student traffic on this part of State Street, recog- nizing that before these projects, most students traveling down State Street have been graduate students or theatre students living in the neighborhood. WANT TO JOIN DAILY NEWS? COME TO OUR MASS MEETING. Come to the Daily at 420 Maynard Street 8 p.m. tonight. U I I I a >.,y " 3- ,r %. ................ J" r \liVtil\ 1 \ Vl. ' .,..