This is in reply to Volume 20 – Issue 21’s article from Wednesday September 12 “Don’t take a pass when it comes to U-Pass”.
I picked up the paper and read this article about how great U-pass is, and all the access it gives you to great deals. Well, don’t I have the right to avoid paying for something I don’t want or use? Secondly, why should I pay for other people’s benefit? You see, I live in Langley, and I come to school to get educated. That means I can’t use the transit portion of the U-pass, and the “great deals” are very limited in Langley. It also means that going to Abby to use the rec. centres doesn’t float my boat. So I want to opt out and save $40 each semester. But do you think I can? NO!
I take two courses per semester because I live in the real world – the world where people have to work to afford school, where mommy and daddy aren’t helping with school and a world where huge student loan debt is NOT a good thing. I’m already paying $30 for a student union who doesn’t stand up for my rights because I live in Langley, $35 for a building that gets used for other peoples enjoyment, and $3 for a radio station that hardly anybody listens to. I also pay $4.50 for a newspaper that seems to have about 10 per cent of its articles discussing menstrual periods, pornography, and butt plugs.
Then I see a poster on the wall at school saying SUS fees might be on the rise again. Yep, its gonna be over $100 total for all of these things I can’t opt out of. That’s about 10 per cent of the cost of my tuition (+ another 10 per cent ancillary fees) because I take only two courses. You say, “why not take five courses and get done sooner and limit your fees?” Well that works for those of you who love student loans or whose daddy has deep enough pockets to put you through school. So you say “well why don’t you take advantage of the things SUS offers?” Nice theory but that means driving to Abbotsford even more, and spending time I could be using to make money or study (last time I checked that is what school is about). Yeah, sorry but shooting “zombies” with toy guns so I can end the SUSpocalypse isn’t high on my list of priorities in life. I’m actually interested in getting an education so I can get a good job and pay for my families food and health. I’m not in an educational institute to play ping pong, listen to some mediocre concert, and eat pizza provided by the SUS to get me to listen to their “come out and vote spiel”.
“But the U-pass gives you such good deals.” Ya, if I want to booze it up at Baron Bar, sip an overpriced coffee at City Blends or ingest an overpriced pita at Pita Pit. The amazing part is that it is viewed as some great socialist idea. “We all pay into something so that everybody can enjoy it.” The reality of the matter is that the people who really think the $40 is worthwhile are in one of two groups. 1. They ride the bus and live in Abbotsford – that’s great and I support that, but a bus pass would do the same, and 2. they are students who want to “experience the college life.” A.k.a stay young and avoid responsibility as long as they can. If drinking beer, playing ping-pong, getting free pizza, listening to aspiring musicians, and hanging out at a rec. centre or the SU building with your pals is what college is all about then you have it good my friend – and you should pay for it from your own bank account, not mine! Its the rich getting richer while the poor students who can’t afford full-time school are paying the same amount and are also less able to make use of the product because they are studying or working.
Shawn Meints
