Jim Jenkinson tried to finish typing his paper all day yesterday but with little success. Instead, he spent most of his time answering the phone.

Jenkinson (senior-foreign service) advertised on the HUB ride board that he was willing to take a few passengers home with him this weekend. Since then he has spent a large part of his time talking to students who, in the wake of the lingering Greyhound bus strike, have been forced to final alternative means of transportation.

"I must have gotten 40 calls," Jenkinson said. "I've done this before, but I've never gotten near this many calls. It must have something to do with the strike."

About 9,300 drivers and other employees of Greyhound -- the nation's only intercity bus line -- have been on strike for higher wages since March 2. The first strike negotiations broke off Sunday in Tucson, Az., after only one hour of bargaining.

The company has kept service open in the major metropolitan areas, but in smaller areas, such as State College, service has been shut down completely, said a spokesman at the Bus Terminal on North Atherton Street.

Trailways, the only other bus service in town, has felt the full brunt of Greyhound's inactivity, said Mike Romig, assistant manager for Trailways' State College office. The phone has not stopped ringing with students trying to leave town, he said.

"We've been totally bombarded with calls," Romig said. "We're trying to accommodate as many as possible."

Unfortunately, for students such as Etsuo Taguchi (graduate-speech communications) Trailways' efforts have not been enough. Taguchi was searching the ride board yesterday for a lift to New York City.

"I need to be in New York early Thursday. Trailways can get me there by 3, but that's not early enough," Taguchi said.

Any expansion in Trailways' service in response to the Greyhound strike has been inhibited by the timing of the work stoppage, Romig said.

"The strike happened at the worst possible time," Romig said. "With spring breaks going on, there (are) just no buses available."

For some, this problem is becoming more immediate as Easter weekend draws closer.

Kim Orlick (freshman-science) said she faces the prospect of her first Easter away from home. Orlick, a Philadelphia-area resident, had been planning on taking a Greyhound bus home for Easter weekend. Now she's hoping a student from her hometown will be able to provide her with transportation.

"I don't know if my parents will be willing to come and get me for just the weekend," she said. "That's a four-hour drive each way."