STLCC students eligible for Metro transportation
By: Austin Schumann
Staff Multimedia Specialist
Starting Fall 2015, St. Louis Community College will be providing every enrolled student the ability to acquire a U-Pass in the Cashier’s office provided by St. Louis Metro.
This pass may be used from Aug. 24, 2015 through February 2, 2016 with no limit on the number of rides during these months.
STLCC Meramec Manager of Student Affairs Carolyn O’Laughlin agrees that this is an excellent tool for students and faculty.
“It’s an excellent tool for all of us. For students who use public transportation every day and for students who maybe wouldn’t use public transportation if they did not have the opportunity,” O’Laughlin said.
This is the first time students at Meramec have had such a program. STLCC at Florissant Valley had the opportunity to buy monthly passes through the campus bookstore at a discounted rate last year. The cost was not added into the current tuition leading students to pay more for transportation than originally thought. All four campuses have a student government who come together a few times a year to talk about issues they are having at their campus, O’Laughlin said.
I n October of 2014 many students felt as if their voice was not being heard about the issue, she said. Students who depended on the St. Louis Metro system wanted a more reliable way to get to and from campus. Now, the U-Pass is distributed at all campuses with only a $1 added to the existing activity fee.
The U-Pass is not limited to students who may use the bus daily, full-time or even part-time. The requirements to receive a pass is to be enrolled in at least one credit hour in any given semester including summer classes. It may be used in emergency situations or even to go attend a St. Louis Cardinals game downtown. Not every student has a backup way to get to school, O’Laughlin said. If their primary way to arrive at campus fails, the U-Pass may be a source of backup to make it to class.
There are a few rules and regulations regarding the U-pass that students will need to follow. First, to use the pass students must provided their school ID, without it they may have to pay the fare to ride or even be denied access. Secondly, the pass may not be given to any friends or family members for use. If the pass is found to be improperly used, the pass will be confiscated by Campus Police and may even result in fines. Lastly, the pass is never replaceable, even if lost or stolen.
The current feedback from students at all four STLCC Campuses is very positive. In fact, many students have already began using the pass regularly throughout the first week of classes.
Fall 2015 is considered the pilot year for the program. If feedback continues to be increasingly positive, the pass will continue for semesters to come.
