With the future of the Universal Transit Pass uncertain, Los Rios students once again are asked to vote on this controversial measure this November.

This current contract in place will only extend until Spring 2007. Students are being asked to vote Nov. 15 through Nov. 18 to either extend it for another 10 years, with the prices fixed for the first five years, or to discontinue the program.

On campus, many decision-makers are not seeking a particular vote, just that students vote.

"I don't care whether students vote for or against it, I just want students to vote," said Student Associate Trustee Barb Hamlett.

Forums are slated for this Thursday and Nov. 9 at 12:20 p.m. in Raef Hall 162 to discuss the pros and cons of renewing the contract for another 10 years.

Currently, students, unless exempt, pay a non-refundable fee, based upon their enrollment, for the Universal Transit Pass, also known as the UTP. On April 4, 2004, the Los Rios student body voted to implement these passes from Fall 2004 though Spring 2007.

The contract between Los Rios Community College District and Sacramento Regional Transit District,

also known as RT, says students holding a current student ID pass have the same rights as a person who purchased a monthly pass directly from RT. All students are eligible to use this pass the whole semester for any use, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.   This includes having access to all busses and light rails that RT services, plus any neighboring transit systems that have a reciprocity agreement with RT. Currently, those agreements are with Folsom Transit, Roseville Transit, Yolo County Transit, and Sacramento Airport Transit.

The cooperation of the various agencies serves to create many options for students to get to school and other places without using a car, says Jo Noble, a Senior Public Information Officer with RT.

"I think it's a win-win situation for everyone," Noble said.

Without this pass in effect, students would be forced to pay $425 per semester to use RT, the combined amount for a student to pay for each month of a semester.

Some students say that only the people who ride RT should pay for the UTP, but without the UTP discounted price, some students say it would discourage them from using public transportation, thus creating more parking woes for everyone on campus.

"You're going to have a hard time

parking," Keltie Jones, Dean of Student Services, said at a Student Association meeting, describing the impact of an additional 5,000 to 6,000 students having to park on campus. "Even if they aren't using the pass it's still beneficial."

If students are disgruntled about the parking situation or are unable to pay the higher rate for the monthly passes, more students could be forced to stop coming to school and possibly more classes could be cancelled.

"If we lose those students because they can't attend college, we lose teachers, classes and the entire college suffers," Barb Hamlett said.

Some of the programs around campus that offer services and support to low-income students are concerned about how the increase would affect those students.

"[If the pass is discontinued], it's going to be tough and students would drop classes because transportation is key," said an EOP & S staff member, who asked not to be identified. "If these students stop coming to school, then that means less students on campus and that means that more classes are in jeopardy of being cancelled."

For more information about the UTP, attend one of the scheduled forums, contact the Student Association office at 484-8453, or see www.arc.losrios.edu.