Erica Santiago / Opinion Director
Commuting between Modesto Maidique Campus and Biscayne Bay Campus is not a fun trip. We’ve all heard complaints that the buses are too cold, the trip is too long and more importantly, way too expensive.
Students are required to pay $2 and 50 cents each way, resulting in a $5 round trip. For faculty, the amount increases to $5 each way, making their commute $10 round trip.
I can’t really speak to how this cost must affect faculty, but one can assume that $10 round trip is no walk in the park on an FIU professor’s salary. As a student, I can definitely attest to how a $5 round trip has impacted my experience in pursuing an education.
I’m a student at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, located at BBC; I’m also not a native of Miami. Not too familiar with Miami, I live in the MMC dorms where I feel the safest and where I have all the amenities I need. This will be my living situation until the new dorms at BBC are open in fall 2016.
Due to my major, living situation and the lack of dorms at BBC, I must commute using the Golden Panther Express four days a week. With each round trip costing $5, I easily spend $20 a week just to get to my classes.
My budget is tight with my father having to take a huge pay cut recently and my younger brother just now starting his own transition into college. I can’t always afford to spend $20 each week; my budget simply cannot cover that cost.
There have been times where I’ve had to make the conscious decision to miss class to save money for other important needs such as food or school supplies. This means that the cost actually has an impact on my ability to take my classes and receive an education. I should not have to make that decision, yet here I am.
My problem isn’t all that uncommon. Too many times I have witnessed students rush to the bus and quickly swipe their OneCard only to find out they don’t have enough money to take the trip. Another student might take the initiative to pay for them but all too often I have seen unlucky students call their professor to explain why they had to miss a test or a presentation while hoping the professor is understanding of the situation.
Every student’s financial situation is different. For one reason or another, some students just can’t afford to live close to BBC. Though having dorms at BBC might ease the issue, there will still be students who simply cannot live away from the Sweetwater area for a variety of reasons like family issues or living situations.
Instead of charging students for each trip, the cost should be a transportation fee in students’ tuition. Yes, that would mean having to pay a fee even if you don’t use the bus, but it wouldn’t be that different from paying a parking fee or gym fee – which is already included in our tuition.
It would be much more convenient to pay the cost once in our tuition, rather than having an ongoing cost for each trip. Students wouldn’t have to decide between going to class and skipping to save money.
The GPE is supposed to make the commute between campuses easier for students, especially those without reliable transportation or in similar situations as I am. But with the cost of each trip being so high, the GPE can be more of a burden than a helpful accommodation.
Students already pay to take these classes; they shouldn’t have to make the decision to miss them on account of the pricey commute.
“The Growl” is a commentary on campus related issues. Erica Santiago is the Opinion Director for FIU Student Media. For commentary, e-mail her at erica.santiago@fiusm.com
Just a point of information – there is no "gym fee" for students at FIU. The Wellness & Recreation Centers on both FIU campuses, as well as the recreation centers at all Florida state universities, receive allocations by their Student Government from the Activities & Services (A&S) Fees they collect. We do not have the dedicated "gym fees" that can be found at universities in most other states (some reaching $200+/semester).
Many students mistakenly think that the Athletics Fees they pay are what provides them access to "the gyms" when in fact those fees actually go directly to fund Athletics, of which neither of FIU’s recreation centers are affiliated with.