With the large number of students who live off campus, the increasing gas prices are causing great concern and making it a bit harder for student drivers in terms of saving money, scheduling, and decision making.
Senior Rachel Heard drives to the university almost everyday from Birmingham for her morning classes.
“It’s a part of inflation and as the U.S. dollar decreases other currencies are becoming more dominant than the U.S. dollar, so prices are going to skyrocket because when we are trading gas and other goods in other countries it’s more costly” she said. “At this point I just take it day by day because that’s the way of life and at the end of the day I still have to pay it because I have to get to where I’m going.”
This seems to be the mindset that most students carry when it comes down to how they feel about the increasing prices because they know what is being risked when they decide to buy a decal and bring their car on campus.
Junior Kayla Martin said, “I don’t really pay attention to the gas prices as much because I don’t have a choice, but to pay it. I get gas every other week and I have a small car, but I can only imagine how somebody else’s gas prices differ when they have a big truck or something.”
The issues that seem to plague the minds of many students is how much money they are being forced to spend every time they need to get gas and how it changes the dynamic of their money distribution.
Senior Shaneyah Thompson said that she thinks the gas prices are very unnecessary right now because she feels like it’s a lot for people who have to travel for work as well as going back and forth from campus to their apartments.
Senior Larenzo Johnson is not happy with the rising prices.
“It really sucks especially being in college because it’s not like, right out the gate, you have options to loaded pools of income. So having to go back and forth everyday, it’s like housing in a sense, but like every time I travel back and forth it’s me putting a payment towards it,” he said. “College students only have so much, you know some have more than others, but having to burn my tank everyday and just watching prices increase, it’s to the point where everything is inflated now.”
A student’s situation can depend on how much they are paying and how they can look at the overall situation.
Transfer junior Madison Raybon is a student athlete who competes on Alabama State University’s volleyball team. As an on-campus student, who mainly resides on campus, her opinion would most likely differ from an off-campus student when it comes to the concern over the increase.
“I feel like gas always increases in the most vulnerable times,” Raybon said. “Right now, gas prices don’t have that much of an effect on me because we practice on campus or we’re out traveling a lot during the season, so my car isn’t used as much.” Raybon then talks about how in usual circumstances she would have to pay $25-$30 to fill up her tank and that would last her about two weeks, but now it takes her about $45 to fill up.
“I do hope the prices go down towards the end of the season,” she adds, “so it’s not so much of a worry after the season.”
Some students hope that the prices will go down gradually as the school year continues, but there are also some students who wish that there was a plan in place specifically to make it easier for students who have cars.
“Personally I felt like they (gas prices) were outrageous because it’s the fact that most students don’t go anywhere, but to school, home, and work more than likely and it’s a lot on our pockets,” said junior Mykhi Johnson. “I feel like maybe they should have something for college students when it comes to the gas prices.”
Another junior named Brittany Smith said, “It can be a little bit of a pain especially when you’re working full time and you don’t make a whole lot of money, but you’re a college student and you’re basically living in your parents house.”
She then gives a bit more insight regarding her position as well as many other students who go through the same thing by saying, “The cost of gas increasing makes things hard especially when you have to buy groceries and other things, but what can you do? You have to have gas and you have to travel back and forth which makes things a lot harder.”
It is still a lot on a student’s limited income at the end of the day, but because they somehow have to get to that essential destination, they don’t have a choice, but to pay for it.
“Hopefully gas prices go down a bit soon,” Smith said. “… but we have to do the best we can with it.”