The bus referendum was passed resulting in students being charged $46 per semester starting in the summer of 2012.
It will combine the parking lot fee with the current bus transportation fee to create one fee for all students that are degree-credit, Madison-based students. It basically provides funding for the Metro bus program, the shuttle, the para-transit services and the parking lot services.
Without the price increase, students would be required to pay $55 each month for a bus pass through the city.
Student Senate gets charged every time a student uses their bus pass provided by Madison College. Due to the growing number of students taking advantage of this program, the Student Senate was running out of funds to support it.
Jennifer Johnson, Student Senate President, believes that these new changes will benefit students by allowing them to continue receiving bus passes through the school. The bus pass provided through the school saves students approximately $600 a year on Metro transit bus pass fees. The new changes will save students who drive their own vehicle to class $4 off of the current parking permit fee.
However, students who only purchase a Metro bus pass will be paying $21 more than they are right now. Currently, students are automatically charged $25 for a bus pass, and an additional $25 if they wish to obtain a parking permit. After the new commuter services referendum takes action, students will pay a one-time fee of $46 to cover the cost of all commuter service options that Madison College recognizes, including the parking permit.
According to Johnson, five members of the Student Senate would put in at least 15 hours a week to work on the referendum. Student Senate’s overall role was to develop students’ awareness of the referendum so they would be compelled to vote.
“We promoted it and helped gain student support for it,” Johnson said. “We also determined the amount the students should be charged. We worked with Public Safety to find an amount that worked for them to charge the students for parking. We worked with Financial Services at the college to determine what amount we needed to charge students to keep the Metro program sustainable.”
Students received an email containing a link to the official ballot. The ballot was open from Oct. 2 until Oct. 4 at 11:45 p.m. Over five percent of Madison College’s eligible students voted on the referendum, for a total of 744 students.
“It seems like it is a low number, but it is really important to know that at other technical colleges or similar schools throughout the country, voting percentages are never higher than two percent,” she said. “We’ve been pretty lucky at MATC to get higher percentages for voting. So I think it’s a little bit more representative. It’s a good turnout number.”
Johnson, president of the student body and a rider of the shuttle and Metro bus, believes it will be a great program for the students.
“I like that the program will still be around for students in the future. I personally use the shuttle and the Metro bus program, so I like that those are still going to be services that are available to me at a low cost. I think it’s just a great service that we provide for students.”