In February, Temple Student Government, SEPTA and the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council began discussing ways to cut costs for commuter students. These talks have since been halted, because the student leading these talks left the university.
Aaron Weckstein, TSG’s former director of grounds and sustainability, was the main person advocating to lower the cost of commute by nearly $400 per semester. Some commuter students pay up to $736 for the SEPTA University Pass Program — a transit pass SEPTA offers for a 10 percent discount to college students at Philadelphia schools.
Commuter students make up more than half of the student population, and their concerns deserve to be addressed. Of the more than 34,000 students on Main Campus during the 2016-17 academic year, only 12,626 students lived on or near Main Campus.
Weckstein no longer attends the university, and it seems TSG’s motivation to help commuter students left with him. It is disappointing that the task of helping more than half of the student population save money was left on the shoulders of one student.
TSG and Temple’s administration must prioritize commuter students, who are often an afterthought on Main Campus. University officials need to focus on easing commuters’ experience with a cheaper transit pass.
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