Student fees for transit may rise

Students might have to pay $23.50 more per year to take their favorite bus route to class.

The student fee advisory subcommittee approved an increase to the student transit fee at its meeting Friday, which would bring the total transit fee to $145.75 in the 2013-14 year if approved by higher administration.

But the fee did not pass unanimously.

Michael Bertucci, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, voted against the fee increase. He said the increase needs more consideration before being approved, especially because it is part of the Department of Public Safety’s five-year plan.

“The reason why there was approval of the fee with no consent today is because I think we realize that fees need to happen — otherwise our services will be cut,” Bertucci said. “But because we don’t understand this plan exactly, we can’t all approve unanimously.”

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp said he is cautious about approving fee hikes in light of rising tuition.

“This is one that we are willing to accept, but everyone would prefer if we find more scholarships and fewer fees,” Crisp said.

The transit fee also sparked lively debate last year, when the subcommittee approved only $8.74 of a requested $14.50 increase.

Chief of UNC Police Jeff McCracken presented the fee increase at Friday’s meeting, stressing that the transit system would suffer without more revenue.

Under the five-year plan, students would pay 41.5 percent of transit costs by 2015-16, as opposed to 29.5 percent in 2010-11.
The new plan aims to reduce parking subsidies by $100,000 a year for five years.

McCracken noted that the cost of transportation to students is not as steep as compared to 15 years ago when it cost $250 for the
transit pass and fee. But there were still concerns among members.

“I see where the students are coming from,” Crisp said. “I think there is a clear issue between being OK with the costs of the transportation system versus it being really necessary to reduce the subsidy coming out of parking.”

Junior Christy Lambden, a member of the student fee audit committee, which discusses fee proposals before the student fee advisory subcommittee, was very vocal at the meeting about his hesitancy about the fee increase.

The student committee unanimously voted down the fee last week.
“I think approving this fee is problematic when students didn’t have a voice in coming up with the original five-year plan that this fee goes towards,” Lambden said.

“By the end of the five-year plan, there will have been over an 100 percent increase in this fee over the last 10 years.”

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