Student Senate Discusses CDTA Bus Contract
The Student Senate discussed the Sustainability Committee’s proposal for a CDTA contract, which would allow free bus access to Hudson Valley students, at last Monday’s meeting. Student Senate has not yet reached a decision.
Different options were weighed and opinions from different perspectives were offered at the meeting.
“[We tried] to come up with a way where students could have a more affordable way of getting to campus,” said Ann Carrozza, FSA Executive Director.
Carrozza worked alongside Joel Fatato, Vice President of Finance, to evaluate exactly what could be done. After meeting with a CDTA representative, financial figures were calculated that could make the bus contract a possibility, if Student Senate and FSA approval are granted to subsidize the service.
If the contract goes through, all neighborhood routes would be included, and any number of transfer buses could be taken to get to any destination within the Capital Region. Student I.D. cards would be used as universal bus swipers and would also be usable on weekends for the entire school year, except the intersession. Faculty and staff would not be included.
At present, Hudson Valley is one of the only local schools without free bus access for students.
If the proposition is accepted in time for the upcoming spring semester, the initial cost to the school would be $50,000. For the next academic year, it would move to $100,000 and, for the year after that, $150,000.
“Any rides in excess of [the paid amount] would not be billed. Any rides below the tab, we would pay for,” said Carrozza.
Due to the costs, the school wants to determine how frequently students utilize the bus service before investing in this, according to Ann Carrozza.
Student Senate members, including President Alexander Duerr and newly-elected Vice President Eugene Corcione, expressed some of the same concerns. The Senate does not want to accept the contract without further evaluation, saying that it would be unfair to future generations of students, should the finances become an issue.
If the contract is accepted, the Student Senate said that it should be permanent to avoid taking it away from the student body after a period of time.
“I definitely want to check with [other schools] to see how they are getting the funds … I do think it’s a great idea, but right now, I do not feel comfortable agreeing to it,” said Corcione.
The Transportation Subcommittee of the Sustainability Committee drew up a petition after originally proposing the contract with CDTA. The petition had 900 signatures from students who said that they would not mind paying an extra $10 on their tuition bill to fund the bus contract.
It is possible that the Student Senate will reach a decision before the spring semester of 2013. As of right now, they are still discussing different options.