Metra discount at cruising speed

By Timothy Bearden

A bill with a Metra student discount amendment attached is tentatively scheduled to be presented to the Illinois House of Representatives in late January, possibly early February, for a vote, said representatives from the Coalition of Chicago Colleges.

Jessica Valerio, Columbia’s Student Government Association president, said the bill focuses on 10-ride pass discounts for college students on all Metra lines, but was unsure of any percentages.

The only exception is the South Shore line, she said, which is in the jurisdiction of the Indiana General Assembly. Valerio said the CCC has approached Indiana schools about the project, but there has been no progress made yet.

The CCC started working on this initiative in spring 2008 and has an attached amendment to House Bill 2144 in hopes to give college students a break on Metra transportation expenses.

HB 2144 was sent to the Illinois General Assembly last spring, but has not had any forward progress since April, Valerio said.

“Right now this bill is in the Rules Committee, which is a popular place for bills to die,” said Michael Perry, an SGA representative from Roosevelt University.

As Perry addressed the coalition at their Nov. 23 meeting in the Wabash Campus Building, 623 S. Wabash Ave., he said one of the major hurdles last year was downstate support of the bill.

He described what efforts could be done by the individual schools represented at the meeting, such as writing letters and e-mails to representatives or having face-to-face meetings, to help the process of passing the bill.

Perry said he’d be willing to go with any of the student governments represented at the meeting to sit down and talk with the officials of their individual districts.

Columbia’s SGA set up tables at the 1104 Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., and the Wabash Campus Building, 623 S. Wabash Ave., on Nov. 25 for students to sign up to write letters to Rep. Elga Jeffries (D-26th) to support the bill.

Rachel Irving, vice president of Communications for the SGA, said the turnout was low at the 1104 Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., but attributed it to upcoming holiday weekend and the cancellation of some classes.

“People we’ve talked to seem to be excited and hopeful about the discount,” she said. “But it’s been low traffic. I would like the SGA to do this again.”

The SGA had between 25 and 35 students write letters addressed to Jeffries, describing their personal anecdotes involving Metra and requesting support for the bill.

“We’re always hoping for more than what we get,” Valerio said. “But the 20 letters we have are 20 more than what [Jeffries] saw yesterday.”

Jazmine Hasty, a senior arts, entertainment and media management major, was one of the 20 students who wrote a letter to Jeffries asking her to vote for the bill. 

Hasty travels in from the south suburb of Flossmoor, Ill., about twice a week for school or work. Her monthly pass costs $120 for a commute between 30 and 60 minutes long. She said it’s disappointing that students get a discount for CTA but not the Metra.

“I want to get someone aware of how crazy it is that we have to pay for tuition, extra living expenses, parking at the Metra stations and not get a discount,” she said, “especially with how bad the economy is now.”

Valerio said although she agrees the rules committee is a “popular place for bills to die,” the amendment has had a lot of momentum up until now with the help of John Fritchey.

She also said there are “casual” talks of drafting a petition and a letter from the SGA as a student body to Jeffries regarding the discount. The coalition has not discussed what it will do if the bill fails, she said, but Valerio doesn’t doubt that the bill could pass.

“I’m confident,” she said. “I like looking on the bright side.”