Queens College extended the goal of 2,000 signatures from students for the implementation of shuttle buses from March 17 to April 6.
Already receiving more than 1,000 signatures, the shuttle bus will make stops at the Main Street and Jamaica stations, as well as Queens Hall.
“While offering shuttle bus service has been under discussion for at least six years, vice president Bill Keller took the lead on this initiative. He met with student leaders and myself and really got the ball rolling,” dean of students, Dr. John Andrejack said.
The Office of Student Life sent out an email on March 10, but the deadline has been extended to April 6 to accommodate the upcoming student election ballot.
Andrejack and student government leaders have been working to make sure this petition gets passed.
“This is a great initiative that Student Life has for commuter students and students coming to QC in the future,” public relations chairman for Student Association, Raj Maheshwari said.
Some students are concerned about the price of the shuttle bus, which will increase the current student activity fee of $123.85 to approximately $164. This increase will be paid per semester for a total of $80 for students on a yearly basis.
“The only thing I heard from students is that it may be a little too pricey,” SA president, Matthew Louie said.
The student activity fee for full-time students includes the student government fee of $6, the Student Union fee of $71, the sports fee of $23 and others totaling up to $123.85.
Regardless of whether students and faculty will be using the bus, everyone will have to pay the $40 fee, according to Andrejack.
Faculty and staff will be able to buy a $40 bus pass beginning in August, if the petition gets passed in the April election.
“I think shuttle buses are an excellent idea since they will make it easier for students, faculty and staff to get to campus,” Hendrey said.
Mark Amoroso, a 22-year-old QC student, uses public transportation to get to the college from his home in Corona.
“There is plenty of transportation around the area. The $40 is a waste of money. The tuition is going up regardless,” Amoroso said. “People are going to complain more than they use it.”
However, faculty members believe that shuttle buses will serve the QC community well.
“Because the college is not served well by public transportation, I hope that this would make student lives easier, whether traveling to and from home, to a job or internship,” Hendrey said.
Students find that while shuttle buses may be helpful, there are easier ways of getting around.
“There are plenty of ways to get to Queens Hall. The shuttle bus would have to go around the college, which would take more time. It’s easier to just walk there than risk being late,” Amoroso said.
Although some students may find the shuttle bus extraneous, the shuttle bus has the capacity to assist many of the commuter students.
