Rising fuel prices impact CSB/SJU
The rising gas prices due to the Russian-Ukrainian war hit close to home for CSB and SJU faculty, staff and students as inflated prices reach St. Joseph gas stations.
Gas prices continue to fluctuate throughout the country and St. Joe is no exception.
According to the American Automobile Association, gas prices in the St. Cloud area took a staggering climb upwards on Wednesday, March 9 to $4.25 per gallon. This was not just in Minnesota; the rest of the US witnessed this trend as well.
In Massachusetts, the price went from about $3.55 to $4.17, and in Florida the price went from $3.50 to $4.01. The world has felt this sting, too, and everyone has left the pumps with lighter pockets as of last month.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 of this year resulted in sanction after sanction for Russia, and as a result, some fallout remains in the countries that placed said sanctions. Crude oil is a main Russian export, and while the US only consumes about 3% of Russia’s stock, it’s enough to leave many Americans frustrated and more college students feeling the strain from prices.
Kari-Shane Davis Zimmerman commutes daily to CSB. She has been commuting to campus for 15 years.
“The current gas price surge along with the crisis in Ukraine should make us all pause and reflect on where we are headed,” she said. “We are not just confronting a humanitarian crisis with the war in Ukraine, but we are also facing an environmental crisis due to our reliance on fossil fuels.”
Link bus drivers have also been affected by the price surge.
“Gas prices do affect the operation a little bit. Toward the end of the year, not too much. We’re looking toward fall now. We’ll see how it goes,” SJU Director of Transportation Jim Cossairt said.
Link drivers do not pay for their own gas, as a school fund is set aside for it. The busses have a diesel tank that gets filled once a week and a propane tank that gets filled once a month. As busses run every day, they need consistent management, fueling and funds. This rise in price does not affect the drivers, but actively hits the school.
Kian Sia Su, an SJU student, said that driving habits with his friends really haven’t changed and that the increase in cost has only increased complaints about gas.
As far as his own habits are concerned, he said that he is doing everything in his power to decrease how much he drives.
“I commute at least once a week due to my schedule,” he said. “But I’ve basically memorized the Link schedule at this point so that I can take that whenever possible.”
His viewpoint also extended toward the world and toward his environmental studies major.
“I think that this is just a good time for people to realize how much the U.S. relies on other countries for energy sovereignty. People really need a reality check on where our energy is coming from,” Sia Su said.
