Shuttle 5500 has found its niche in Athens shuttle scene

By: Alexis Economy

Searching for something more than just a regular taxi ride to campus on game days? Then catch a ride with Shuttle 5500, Athens’s newest and most innovative game day shuttle service!

The service started by business partners James Tomol and Jordan Dyce is part of a management class taught at the University of Georgia, through the Terry College of Business. The class, taught by Christopher Hanks, allows students to formulate their own business plans and then actually launch the proposed business idea during the semester.

According to Hanks, while many business schools offer similar classes that enable students to develop a business plan, only the University offers a class that concentrates primarily on launching the actual business.

“We are the only entrepreneurship program in the country with an exclusive focus on launching the actual business,” said Hanks.

So why do a shuttle service on game day in Athens, when the city already has numerous taxis and vans?

The answer, “to create an experience,” said James Tomol, a senior and management major from Sarasota, Fla. and also the group leader of Shuttle 5500.

“We don’t want to be a commodity we want to be compelling and provocative,” said Tomol.

That’s what you get with Shuttle 5500, a new kind of game day ride experience. While on the ride guests can play trivia games about Georgia football or just talk about experiences at the University and the Terry College of Business.

“Most of our customers are UGA alum and more specifically Terry alum, so most of the time we just end up talking about Terry and different business related issues,” said Tomol.

In addition to trivia and good conversation, guests are offered the option of purchasing chips or soft drinks and are even offered free pizza. During its first weekend of business, Fox’s Pizza sponsored Shuttle 5500 and donated pizzas to be distributed on the rides.

According to Tomol, the business is hoping to get more sponsors and to work out a deal where if you buy a Shuttle 5500 shirt and wear it, you are eligible for different deals and savings at the businesses on the actual shirt.

Through this t-shirt idea Tomol and his business partner Jordan Dyce, a senior and management major from Atlanta, Ga. are hoping to make the service free. Currently Shuttle 5500 is looking for more advertisers to cover their main costs, so the t-shirt can just be a benefit or option to using the shuttle service.

However the search for more advertisers is not by any means meant to imply that this business venture has been unsuccessful thus far. In fact, it has been quite the opposite. With only one weekend under its belt, the business can already boast serving approximately 200 guests.

“On our first weekend we began running at around 9:00 a.m. and then started again about an hour after the game ended. We did not finish until around 4:00 a.m. It was crazy,” said Dyce.

The shuttle picks up at mainly the Howard Johnson, Hampton Inn, and the Country Inn Suites near the intersection of Atlanta Highway and Alps Road and makes pick ups and drop offs about every thirty minutes. The shuttle picks up at the three hotels and then drops guests off at the bus stop near the arch in the downtown.

With parking costs soaring to $40 and taxis costing $10 and upwards per person, Shuttle 5500 seems to have found its niche in offering a unique and full experience (for nearly no cost) to Georgia fans on game day.

Designated driver business thrives in the Classic City

Designated driver business thrives in the Classic City
By Dana J. Hortman


ATHENS, Ga., -- It’s Friday night in the Classic City.

You and your friends are stress free for the weekend and ready to let loose from the weekly class routine.

You hit up your favorite local hot spots—Terrapin, General Beauregard’s, The Winery.

Several hours and drinks later, the world isn’t looking as clear as it had when you drove downtown. Panicked, you’re probably thinking, “How am I going to get home?”

The solution: Zingo Athens.

The popularity of Zingo Athens Designated Drivers is continuing to prosper with business from many university students who choose to use a more unique alternative form of transportation when leaving the bars.

Launched in April of 2008 by three local Athenians Scott Allen, Matt Presnell and Travis Presnell, Zingo Athens Designated Drivers is an Atlanta-based charter that offers Athenians a truly one of a kind driver/chauffer service.

The Zingo’s designated driver arrives at the customer’s location on a Di Blasi, an Italian manufactured folding motorbike.

The R series Di Blasi motorbike, 64 lb. dry and 70 lbs. wet, is folded up into a canvas tote and placed in the trunk of the customer’s vehicle.

Next, the Zingo designated driver drives the customer’s vehicle to his or her location, removes the motorbike, and returns to the Zingo headquarters located downtown.

“I think it’s about the same as taking a taxi, the same risks are involved,” said Ashley Hall, a senior advertising major from Lawrenceville, Ga. “Some random person is driving you home. Hopefully, you’re not alone in your own car; because the driver knows you’re alone and where you live. But I guess it’s the same with taxis.”

“I think Zingo would be safer for students, especially females,” said Jamarl Glenn, a University of Georgia alumnus. “The fact is most people can recognize the Zingo driver’s because of their standard uniform and scooter. But, you don’t really know the taxi driver.”

The Atlanta-based company, Zingo Transportation, Inc., was founded in October 2005 by entrepreneur’s Jim Valentine and Charles Barfield.

A year later, they were joined by PX Head, who is currently the company president and resides over all nationwide development of the Zingo concept.

According to an interview posted on Daryn Kagan.com, Head was involved in a drinking and driving accident that killed his friend and fraternity brother, Benjamin Hawkins on June 11, 2004.

Head and some friends, including Hawkins, had been out drinking and were on their way home when Head lost control of the car and hit a utility pole.

He was charged with vehicular homicide, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years of probation.

As president, Head’s job includes establishing the Zingo brand across the country.

Georgia isn’t the only state following the Zingo trend. Other locations include cities in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina.

The Classic City is the 12th city across the nation to adopt this extraordinary form of designated driver services.

“I’m not familiar with Zingo, but it seems like a good idea,” said Sumner Bain, a senior psychology major from Atlanta. “One of the main reasons I don’t go downtown is because I live out too far from downtown and taxis are expensive, especially going back and forth from the bars.”

“I guess I would try Zingo, because then, I know my car wouldn’t get towed or I wouldn’t have to find someone to drive me back to my car the next morning,” Hall said.

For customers interested in utilizing Zingo’s services, the Zingo Website recommends calling 30 to 40 minutes in advance of when you want your driver to arrive.

The expected time of arrival for a Zingo driver can range anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

The cost is a $20 pick-up fee, which includes the first 3 miles, plus a $2-per-mile thereafter.

Pricing also includes a 25 percent discount for students, including those who attend the University of Georgia.

To learn more information about Zingo Athens and the many services they offer to the Classic City, visit the Zingo Website at http://www.zingoathens.com/.

Erin Dillard - First Draft, Second Article

PROFESSORS RECOGNIZE TECHNOLOGY AS DISTRACTIONS
By Erin Dillard
ATHENS, Ga. - With today’s booming texting and Internet opportunities, students and faculty both are experiencing a constant competition for distractions.

With almost all students bringing cell phones and many bringing laptops to the classroom, disruptions and distractions during class time are inevitable.

Though to most students the constant access and use of cell phones and laptops seems normal, some professors recognize how quickly and recently the phenomenon occurred.

“It really is recent; mainly really just in the last three years, since the university went wireless,” said Richard Neupert, an Introduction to Cinema professor.

Neupert has been at the University of Georgia for 16 years, and he can remember when students still asked permission to use laptops during class.

“I don’t think it’s an issue of the old professor versus the young students,” said Neupert. “Some things are great, but some things students are just too dependent upon.”

Neupert still allows students to use laptops during class, even though he has had a student win an online poker tournament during one of his lectures.

“I was in the middle of lecture, when all the sudden a group of students in the back began to cheer,” he said. “They were just all watching this one student, rather than paying attention.”

He has also had complaints about students watching pornography on their laptops. Still, he allowed students to have laptops during class.

“I am just not really sure it’s my job to patrol it,” he said.

He does, however, not allow lap tops during films and will even drop a student for doing so. He considers bright laptops during a film too much of a distraction.

Sonya Collins, a freshman English composition instructor, also allows students to use laptops during lecture and class time.

“Freshmen composition used a Website called EMMA to access all class material, so the students brought their lap tops,” Collins said.

“In one particular class, everyone was on Facebook and Instant Messenger the entire time,” she said. “I began to notice them closing their lap tops when I walked around the room.”

Collins slowly attempted to phase out lap top usage, by discouraging it, and tell students to close their lap tops when she thought their usage wasn’t necessary.

“I hated it, because I felt like I was constantly patrolling,” she said. “I wanted it to be a room full of adults; I felt like a high school teacher.”

Scott Shamp, the director of the New Media Institute, has his own view on how to deal with this feeling of “patrolling.”

“I don’t believe you can make people focus ,” said Shamp. “Young people today live in a totally different environment. Attempting to create a distraction free vacuum is not the way to solve the problem.”

Shamp believes that the recent evolution of technology has made classroom walls permeable and no longer a sealed environment. Instead of fighting the revolution, the best professors find a way to use it.

“As professors, we need to help students and other faculty understand why it’s a bad communication strategy, but not necessarily a bad learning strategy,” he said.

“It’s not successful to tell students to shut their computers; it alienates them,” he said.

“The classroom is 20 percent students, 80 percent me. The faculty has to up their game and create an exciting, stronger, more visual learning environment in order to compete.”

Shamp believes that the classroom environment will only be different when the current learning generation becomes the ones who are teaching.

“Universities are big ships that don’t turn fast,” he said.

In the mean time, Shamp claims that there is no use in fighting students who are determined to be distracted by I Phones and Facebook.

“Professors are fighting a losing battle against technology in the classroom; they aren’t put in there to be hall monitors.”

Red Team Budgets

SLUG: ABTheft
The story: About breaking and entering cars. Whether it is an issue among students on campus and how to prevent theft from your vehicle.
Type of story: News Feature
Reporter/Photographer: Ashley Bene
Editor: Dana HortmanLength: 500-700 words
Photos: UGA Parking LotDeadline: September 29, 2009

SLUG: DHXingo
The story: Information about Xingo service, an alternative form of transportation for students who don’t want to take taxis or rely on friends for DD. If students want to use it.
Type of story: News Feature
Reporter/Photographer: Dana Hortman
Editor: Ashley Bene
Length: 500-700 words
Photos: Students downtownDeadline: September 29, 2009

SLUG: AEShuttle
The story: A MGMT 5500 class offers game day transportation as part of business class.
Type of story: News Feature
Reporter/Photographer: Alexis Economy
Editor: Lauren Willson
Length: 500-700 words
Photos: students in class, students running shuttle on game day
Deadline: September 29, 2009

SLUG: LWGreen
The story: Different methods of going green with Athens residents’ transportation. Example- Algaeus
Type of story: News Feature
Reporter/Photographer: Lauren Willson
Editor: Alexis EconomyLength: 500-700 words
Photos: Algaeus (hopefully), A group of Prius
Deadline: September 29, 2009

Budget

SLUG: BS Livenation and Ticketmaster

The story: I want to talk about the merger between these two companies, and the impact that has had and will continue to have on the music industry. I will try to talk to some people in the Music Business program and some frequent concert-goers to pin down how the increase in ticket sales has affected their ability to go to shows.

Reporter/Editor :Blakeney Spong/Thomas Hopper

Photos/Graphics: photo of concert, livenation’s web site, etc.
Length: 500 to 600 words

Deadline: Next Tuesday





SLUG: PH Modern Music Recording

The story: I hope to report on the nature of recording and production in the digital age. Just as music itself is changing, so is the way music is being produced, created, and explored. All sorts of new editing tools and electronic options must have had some sort of impact on the medium.

Reporter/Editor: Thomas Patrick Hooper/Blakeney Spong

Photos/Graphics: Interior of a recording studio

Length: 500 to 600 words

Deadline: Next Tuesday


SLUG: SS Rise of Records

The story: Talk about how the sale of records is way up and almost surpassing the sale of CDs in record stores. Many artists are releasing their new music as vinyl records with a code on the inside for a free online download of the mp3 version of their album. I want to talk about how the technological advances are making mp3 and downloading so prevalent, yet more and more people prefer more retro vinyl copies. I will ask sources why they do or don’t prefer vinyl and will talk to record store owners.
Reporter/Editor: Sydney Slotkin/Katie Weise
Photos/Graphics: photo of shoppers in a record store, or record store employees stocking or selling records
Length: 500 to 600 words

Deadline: Next Tuesday

SLUG: KW HEROS

The story: Guitar Hero and Rock Band are taking over the video game world. There are also many knockoffs and a new “DJ Hero” is coming out soon. I will talk about how musicians feel about this technology, what they feel this is doing to music in general, and if they like it. Also how much it costs to make these games, how much the bands who sell them the rights to their songs get, if they are getting more well known, etc.
Reporter/Editor: Katie Weise/Sydney Slotkin
Photos/Graphics: photo of people playing rock band/guitar hero/etc.
Length: 500 to 600 words

Deadline: Next Tuesday

SILVER TEAM BUDGETS

Slug: ARSOCIALFLOOD
The story: How news organizations are using social media as a breaking news outlet and how social media users responding to instant coverage; emphasis on the coverage of the Atlanta floods.

Reporter/Editor: Ali Rosenberger/Chris Benton

Photos/Graphics: Photo of someone tweeting about the flood or, if possible, flood picture

Length: 600 words

Deadline: Tuesday, September 29

Slug: SOCIALSELLING
The story: Increase in social media business exchanges: personal or commercial. Related to the decrease in newspaper classifieds, etc.

Reporter/Editor: Megan Niager/Kristen Luca

Photos/Graphics: Classified ad photo, someone at ABH or Red&Black

Length: 600 words

Deadline: Tuesday, September 29

Slug: KLPOLITICS
The story: How people are utilizing social media to reach political goals and spread political ideas.

Reporter/Editor: Kristen Luca/Megan Niager

Photos/Graphics: Possible photos of College Republicans or Young Democrats

Length: 600 words

Deadline: Tuesday, September 29

Black Team Story Budgets II

ADPHARM
The story: The technology in the new pharmacy building, and how students and faculty are interacting with it.
Type of story: News feature
Reporter/Photographer: Amanda Duval
Editor: Sarah Pelham
Length: 600
Photos: Lab in pharmacy building
Deadline: Sept. 29, 11 a.m.

EDDIC
The story: How technology can interrupt the classroom when students use laptops, phones or digital music players. Student and teacher opinions.
Type of story: News feature
Reporter/Photographer: Erin Dillard
Editor: Jessica Cole
Length: 600
Photos: None
Deadline: Sept. 29, 11 a.m.

SPPPT
The story: Faculty and student opinions of presentation software, such as Microsoft Powerpoint, and how it influences learning.
Type of story: News feature
Reporter/Photographer: Sarah Pelham
Editor: Erin Dillard
Length: 600
Photos: Instructor using presentation software
Deadline: Sept. 29, 11 a.m.

JCROCK
The story: How rock band and guitar hero affect the way people learn how to read and play music. Talk to musicians, music faculty and students.
Type of story: News feature
Reporter/Photographer: Jessica Cole
Editor: Amanda Duval
Length: 600
Photos: People playing Guitar Hero, Rockband
Deadline: Sept. 29, 11 a.m.