Students returning from Davis Square will soon have a new way to plan their trip back to the Hill. The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is installing a JoeyTracker screen in J.P. Licks that will be up and running by next fall.
The screen, which will display arrival times for the shuttle — commonly known as the Joey — is designed to increase the accessibility of the shuttle and, in particular, to help students avoid late-night walks back to campus.
The installation of the screen is the final phase of the JoeyTracker project, which began in 2005.
Students can currently follow the progress of the shuttle on its route to and from Davis Square with the GPS-based JoeyTracker Web site. But the site is ineffective for students who are in Davis Square and without access to the Internet.
Freshman Senator Joel Greenberg believes that having a screen for all to see will help those students and provide safety benefits. "If you can time your trip back so that you can use the Joey, I think it helps students to be safe," he said.
The project was spearheaded by TCU Treasurer Matt Shapanka, who approached the ice cream store years ago with the idea. The former manager of J.P. Licks, however, opposed Shapanka's request to install a screen in the window of the shop.
"We've been trying for years to find a place in Davis that would put up a screen," Shapanka, a senior, said. "When we first looked into that, the most logical place was J.P. Licks, but the old manager of J.P. Licks didn't have any interest in that. They actually tried to keep Tufts students out unless they were customers."
The project has moved forward, though, with the introduction of J.P. Licks' current manager Stacy Radowitz, who has been more receptive to the plan.
"We do a lot of business with Tufts, and I wanted to do something to give back for that business we get," Radowitz said. "Maybe they won't get a coffee this time, but maybe they'll see a picture of something that interests them or they'll notice a new promotion."
The installation of the new screen is slated to be completed by the time students return to campus next year, Shapanka said. "We'll be purchasing the screen in the next week, and they just have to decide where to physically put it in the store," he said.
He added that the location of the screen in the store is an essential part of the plan. "I want to make sure it's visible from the window so that it can still be seen if J.P. Licks is closed," he said.
Radowitz is waiting on an official written proposal from TCU senators before proceeding with the project.
"Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later because the school year's almost over," she said. "I wish I was approached sooner because summer's coming."
Shapanka said the project will be mutually beneficial. "Tufts students will go [into J.P. Licks] and maybe they'll buy ice cream and maybe they won't, but it's good marketing," he said.
The new screen sounded appealing to junior Emily Newman, as she waited inside J.P. Licks for the shuttle to arrive. "I think it would be a really practical convenience," she said. "It would probably boost the business in here — increase the incentive to buy ice cream [during the] winter."
Overall, the project will cost $350 for a 24-inch screen and a used computer. "It's not a huge financial impact," Greenberg said.
