The dreaded day has come when my BYU Ed Pass will no longer be valid. Many at BYU have protested and reasoned with administrators to no avail. This is a disappointment to BYU faculty, staff, students, and parents of students.
It will come as a rude awakening when the financially — and environmentally — conscious bus riders are saddled with a new $75 per month ($56 for students) expense.
Dropping the pass defies ethics and conventional wisdom. I challenge administrators to find one major university in the U.S. that offers free parking but no bus pass discount.
Why? Most communities are committed to improving and encouraging alternative forms of transportation.
I know BYU values environmentalism, as the BYU recycling website states “We should be wise stewards by exercising good judgment in managing and replenishing the resources with which the Lord has blessed us.”
Offering free parking while not subsidizing bus passes contradicts this. Why not do what many universities do and charge everyone a transportation fee that covers parking and bus passes.
There are 30,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff. Last year about 4000 students and 300 faculty and staff were bus pass holders.
If student passes now cost $56 per month and faculty and staff passes $75 per month and parking costs nothing to maintain (which is what BYU assumes) the total costs for bus and parking passes is three million dollars. Divide that by the 35,000 people and you get $88 per year.
My numbers may be a bit off but I’m certain there is a better solution than the current one.
Sam Hardy
Provo
