Misty Dierkhising
Campus Eye staff
Student Government members are planning a mass transit forum in April to discuss challenges students face taking the bus and train to campus.
At the March 19 Student Government meeting, Student Sen. Gary Patterson said, “People don’t want to use mass transit because it doesn’t work.” The closest the local bus will get you to Anoka-Ramsey is McDonalds on Coon Rapids Boulevard, he said. Crosswalks are nonexistent; as are sidewalks. It can make for a treacherous walk to school, he said.
Representatives from the Northstar Commuter Line also want to hear comments about how they could encourage more students to use the rail line.
Student Government Vice President Kevin Parker said members are currently looking for a date in April for the campus forum.
At the March 19 meeting, members also heard an update from President Tom Berg and Vice President Parker, who spent nearly a week in Washington, D.C., where they had meetings with Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Erik Paulsen.
Among other topics, Parker and Berg said they learned service projects commitments could change. One year of service to either FEMA, which deals directly in disaster relief, AmeriCorps, where you can devote your time to Habitat for Humanity and tree planting, or Civilian Corps could earn a grant equal to the current Pell Grant for students. Service also leads to a student loan deferment.
Interest rates of self-loans versus Stafford loans were discussed as was the idea that some finance companies are predators when it comes to student loans.
The tuition freeze Anoka-Ramsey and other state community colleges current are experiencing could be over as soon as next year when Legislature votes on it.
Open Educational Resource, OER, is the opportunity to create low-cost books for teachers and students online. Opposition came from textbook lobbyists who were, “well-read, well-versed, and well-paid.” “A two-year professor and a four-year professor can reshape the wheel instead of remaking it all over,” Berg said of the OER which is used at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“The average student carries a $1,260 per year book fee. OER gives us the possibility to reduce this to $100 in tech fees,” Parker said.
On Wednesday, March 26, Student Government members will skip their usual meeting to attend Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. The event, sponsored by the Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA), gives students from across the state a chance to talk directly with state lawmakers about their concerns. Both Berg and Parker plan to attend.
