Drivers Get a Look at American College Students
By Jessica Gerlach
Harlaxton College Web Design Student
Friday, February 1, 2008
It is 1 p.m., and even though the Harlaxton shuttle bus doesn't leave for
another 10 minutes, every one of the 16 seats has been filled, and there is a
line of six students waiting for the next shuttle.
Trips into the town of Grantham, only three miles from the school, are a part of
the Harlaxton students' routine. Katelyn Sandy, a student at Harlaxton,
commented that the shuttle drivers are always “friendly and smiling, which makes
going to and from Grantham a fun experience.”
Doug Mitchell gets ready to drive the shuttle to Grantham.
(Photo by
Jessica Gerlach)
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At 1:10, Doug Mitchell, one of the shuttle drivers, hops into the shuttle, asks
how everyone is doing, then reminds everyone to buckle up. As Mitchell pulls
away from the manor, the sound level in the shuttle increases as students begin
talking and laughing, making their plans for the day.
The shuttle drivers often strike up conversations with the students near them.
“You meet so many different people,” Mitchell noted.
Lawrence Green, the part-time Harlaxton shuttle driver, said that he likes when
he is on the shuttle bus, talking to the students. “That’s when you find out
what people are like,” he explained. Spending so much time around the students
gives these men a look at American college students.
Mitchell just celebrated his 12th month working at Harlaxton, but he has lived
in the Harlaxton area for 30 years. He was born just outside Edinburgh, the
capital of Scotland, which many of the Harlaxton students will be visiting
during their stay. He was a member of the U.K. Special Forces and proudly wears
the gold insignia on a chain around his neck.
Mitchell said that he was surprised by how friendly and polite the Harlaxton
students are. “I didn’t expect that, them being from America and all,” he
quipped. Mitchell said that what surprises him the most about the American
students is how little most of them know about their own U.S. history.
Harlaxton student, Alicia Ritzenthaler, said that she likes to ask Mitchell if
he has any recommendations of popular sights to see before she travels. “I asked
Doug what his favorite part about London was and he said the A4 going north out
of town towards Edinburgh.” laughed Ritzenthaler. She enjoys Mitchel’s sense of
humor.
Mitchell and his wife participate in the popular Meet-a-Family program at
Harlaxton, in which British families “adopt” some of the Harlaxton students
during the semester. “I enjoy it very much.” he said. He added that he receives
about 60 e-mails a week from Harlaxton students from past semesters. “It takes
me about an hour every night to reply,” Mitchell said.
“I haven’t met any students who wanted to go home at the end of the semester,”
Mitchell said. “They’ve all said they wanted to stay here.”
Green is fairly new at Harlaxton College, having only worked at the college for
three months. He is a Grantham native and has two sons who are a little older
then the students at Harlaxton. Green thinks that helps him relate to the
college students. He knows they are a long way from home, and being able to be a
part of their lives is “very pleasing.”
Lawrence Green chats with Harlaxton students Wednesday during High Tea.
(Photo by
Jessica Gerlach)
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Sarah Braun, a Harlaxton college student, said that she enjoys riding in the
front of the shuttle and talking with Green. They discuss everything from music
on the radio to their families. “He (Green) asked us if we’d seen his wife
working at Asda,” she said. Braun likes that the shuttle drivers interact with
the students as if they are family.
One of the funniest moments Green has encountered while at Harlaxton was last
fall semester when he was driving a shuttle full of students to Grantham. Much
to his surprise, there were three naked Harlaxton students standing on the side
of the road. “There they were, just waving good-bye to us!”
The students not only entertain Green, but educated him as well, helping him
with his knowledge of U.S. geography. He likes to go home and find what states
and cities the students are from.
Green said that he does not have any preconceived notions of Americans. “I give
everybody a chance,” he said. “I don’t categorize (the students) as Americans. I
categorize them as people.”
Something that many of the students may not know about Green is that he is not
only a part-time shuttle driver but also a carpenter at the school. He has been
working on the renovation in the Harlaxton Long Gallery and has even built a
fireplace for one of the rooms at the college, he said. “I’ve left my mark on
Harlaxton.”
When asked what the best part about his job is, Green paused, then smiled.
“Meeting the students. For that, it’s the best job I’ve ever had in my life.”
