i\'I e t r o p o I i l a n S l a t e C o I I e g e o f D e n \' e r ., t u d e n t n c w s
Bus pass approved 9-1 in vote 3,946 students turn out in show of support for bus pass A.Jeter
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The METROPOLITAN
Students voted overwhelmingly last week to extend the RTD bus-pass program for another two years. About 90 percent of those casting ballots favored the referendum. Nearly 4,000 students from all three schools voted March 5 and 6. Almost I ,400 more students voted this year than in April I995 when the program started. While the voters represent only Counting about 12 percent of votes the nearly 33,000 students on camYes No pus, the turnout was significantly higher than the goal of 3,000 hoped for by a campus environmental group. The campus coordinator for the 1,031 200 Colorado Public Interest Research Total Group, a major on3,556 390 campus supporter of the bus pass, said he was shocked by the turnout. "I was cautiously pessimistic, and expected low turnout and a close vote," said Joey Lyons on Monday via e-mail. "A 90 percent yes vote is nothing short of a small miracle in my mind ." Lyons said he expected the approval to be slim because the wording of the ballot implied that the bus-pass fee would be
s e r v i n g t h e A u r .1 r i a C a m p u s s i n c e 1 9 i 9
Poet of note
Pulitzer Prize an additional fee that stuwinner dents currently did not Gwendolyn pay. Brooks The wording of the speaks in St. referendum read: "Shall Cajetan's the students of Auraria Center on Campus authorize the Wednesday. Board of Directors of the She was the Auraria Higher bridge speakEducation Center to er between assess an additional stuBlack History dent fee on all Auraria month and students not to exceed Women's $I 9.00 per semester for History month. the purpose of establishing a two year extension of the Student Bus Pass John Program?" McDonough/ The MElROPOLITAN However, Lyons said, the vote showed how important the program is to students. "Mass transportation is a basic need magnified at Auraria because of our commuter character and clearly supported by those who may not use it regularly," he said. week that the I 997-98 fee will be $16. 70 Lyons said the major issue now is per semester due to the expiration of a fedwhether the governing boards of the three eral grant and a proposed 25 percent RTD schools and the Auraria Board will uphold fare increase. The Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board will the student vote. CoPIRG member John Bailey, who attempt to lower that fee with special led the RTD pass retention effort for the funds. group, said he is glad that the measure The Faculty Advisory Committee to passed, but he will reserve celebration the Auraria Board released a study last until after he sees the Metro board's reac- week showing that of 743 students surveyed, only about 32 percent use their bus tion. RTD spokesman Jerry Eddy said last passes regularly, but that most students
NE\'\'S Administration not going to pursue 4% tuition increase Page 3
pa p e r
supported the program. Riders are most likely to be full-time Community College of Denver students, according to the study. Most Metro students speaking against the pass said time and convenience were major reasons they did not use the bus, while those who said they used their passes cited the same reasons for riding. The study also showed that about half of Metro and University of Colorado at Denver students did not know that their student ID cards served as bus passes.
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