Regarding a proposal made by the Student Life Committee to Student Council last Tuesday that would provide students with transportation to and from airports over breaks, committee chairman Aagya Mathur told The Cavalier Daily that student interest would need to be gauged before changes were made.
On behalf of myself and many other students at the University, that interest does, indeed, exist. Approximately one-third of all undergraduates are not Virginia residents. Furthermore, according to enrollment statistics, students come from 48 states and 116 foreign countries. For that large minority of students, convenient and inexpensive access to airports - especially those outside of Charlottesville - is a persistent concern.
Students without cars must either find rides or pay cab expenses to reach airports, while those who drive their own cars must pay parking fees (which become very costly over longer breaks). And while some of these inconveniences may be eliminated by the proximity of the Charlottesville-Albemarle airport, its array of direct flights is limited and prices may be higher than those of flights leaving from the Richmond and Washington, D.C. airports.
For almost one-third of students at the University, the benefit of providing transportation to airports would exceed its cost. (Though charges to those who use the service, considered by the committee, would cover at least part of the expense to UTS.) I appreciate its consideration by Student Council and its coverage by The Cavalier Daily.
Emily Forrester\nCLAS I
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