This week, the Student Government Association (SGA) launched a new blog called Flightplan, and the Editorial Board could not be more pleased with the site. The cleverly named web page is like the Rosetta Stone for Baltimore happenings and public transportation options relevant to Hopkins students. Too many times we’ve heard our peers complain that they would make more of an effort to get off campus if only the public transportation system didn’t seem so convoluted and confusing. Now, thanks to Flightplan, this is no longer an excuse. Hopefully those students who were so intimidated by the seeming complexity of Baltimore’s public transportation system will see the links to Flightplan on Facebook, read the blog and be off to explore Charm City this weekend.
Baltimore is one of the most unique cities in the United States — it really does have a character of its own. The Editorial Board believes it is an outright shame that most students rarely leave Charles Village. There are so many festivals and events that fly under the Hopkins radar — some of which are even in range of the Blue Jay shuttle. Hampden hosts the famous Hun Fest, (a festival where local men from all walks of life don drag costumes), as well as the creatively named Hampdenfest. Flightplan will now be able to offer students more information about these events and resources to help students get to Hampden and beyond. And although Hampden is an especially effervescent neighborhood, there are many other events and festivals all over Baltimore that us Blue Jays should be flocking to, with the help of Flightplan. The Editorial Board believes that efforts like this site will allow students to provide a more complete understanding of these sorts of festivals and events and will ultimately a more fulfilling college experience.
The Editorial Board commends the SGA for working so hard to get more students off campus to experience this amazing city. Coming on the heels of the SGA’s push to extend the routes of the Blue Jay Shuttle, Flightplan is an important step in this mission. Even if it’s only for four years, we are all living in Baltimore, not exclusively on the Homewood Campus, and we should all use Flightplan to start acting like it. We can only imagine the wisdom students would possess if they combined this invaluable resource with another equally important one: the “Your Weekend” section of The News-Letter.
