Forming an Opportunity Belief

There is an opportunity to create a new UF driving system or even expand the route of SNAP to cater to students who are living in off-campus housing. This satisfies the unmet need of a student who does not own a car or scooter who live off campus. This would be beneficial for students who have to leave campus late at night and do not feel comfortable walking alone at night or even if the weather is too cold to walk back. This need has always existed but I noticed it when I was walking home from campus at night. It was cold, dark, and windy and the bus that I would have taken to get home does not run at that time of night. I am aware that the UF SNAP program does go to a few apartment complexes such as Tanglewood Apartments but looking at the map of stops they make, that is the only off-campus housing they travel to. There is also a late night bus service called the Later Gator bus service.
1ST YEAR FEMALE

Do you live off campus and if so how many miles out?

No, I do not.

Do you have a car or a scooter?

No.

How often do you end up heading home at night?

Every night.

Do you ever feel nervous when you're alone at night outside and if yes, why?

Yes, because I know that college campuses are known for having all types of people that I can’t trust. I know college campuses are known for having some rime and suspicious activity.

Do you use SNAP and how often?

Yes, I do. Every single day.

Do you think SNAP would be beneficial to off-campus students as it is currently being running now?

I think that if there were more off-campus stops it would be much more convenient.

Do you think it would be a burden to on-campus students if SNAP added more off-campus stops?

Yes, it would be inconvenient if the off-campus stop was before my stop on campus but there could be a separate system for that.

REFLECTION: The need for an expansion on the SNAP stop route seems to be affected by whether the student lives off campus. If the student lives on campus, SNAP will most likely drop them off wherever they need to be, so they do not have an unmet need that must be satisfied. Also, students on campus may have to their travel time lengthened because of off campus stops.  

FEMALE 3RD YEAR 

Do you live off campus and if so how many miles out?

I live off campus I live off cabana beach, its 4.1 miles away.

Do you have a car or a scooter?

No.

How often do you end up heading home at night?

Pretty often cause I’m always out and about.

Do you ever feel nervous when you're alone at night outside and if yes, why?

Yes, I feel nervous because I hear the statistics and numbers of students getting assaulted at night.

Do you use SNAP and if yes, how often?

No, it doesn’t apply to me unfortunately.

Do you think SNAP would be beneficial to off-campus students as it is currently being running now?

Yes, I just wish they would expand more.

Do you think it would be a burden to on-campus students if SNAP added more off-campus stops?

Not necessarily I’m not too familiar with all the resources they have for students on campus, but I don’t feel like it would be a burden cause off campus students are students here too and I feel almost as if there aren’t enough resources because we are off campus.

REFLECTION: This off campus student said she does not use SNAP because it does not apply to her. However, she said that she does feel nervous when she is alone at night. She has a strong need for the SNAP route expansion, so she can feel safer on and off campus, especially living so far away. She currently uses the later gator bus system to get home.  

MALE 2ND YEAR

Do you live off campus and if so how many miles out?

Yes about 2-3 miles

Do you have a car or a scooter?

Car. I have both, but I use my car a lot

How often do you end up heading home at night?

A lot cause I’m on the football team

Do you ever feel nervous when you're alone at night outside and if yes, why?

My freshman year I did but now I really don’t care

Do you use SNAP and if yes, how often?

I’ve used SNAP like twice since I’ve been at UF

Do you think SNAP would be beneficial to off-campus students as it is currently being running now?

Yes, it would

Do you think it would be a burden to on-campus students if SNAP added more off-campus stops?

A little but not that much. It would probably take a little longer but that means the school would just have to have more drivers to accommodate for the extra mile being driven.

REFLECTION: Males would not be affected much by the expansion. The male student interviewed live off campus however he had a car. Although males may feel nervous at night alone, they most likely do not feel as nervous as females.

SUMMARY: A majority of my original belief is still prevalent. I would have to make a few modifications such as proposing dropping off campus students off last or using cars specifically assigned to off campus routes. I do believe that it is accurate after speaking with a few people wo use SNAP and based on my own personal experiences. I think entrepreneurs often adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback because entrepreneurship is about solving unmet needs. There may be different variations and exceptions to these needs so the entrepreneur need to create a solution that best fits the need no matter how many exceptions it may have.