In an email dated February 12th, 2010, The New School announced a partnership with New Jersey Transit that would offer full-time students (undergraduate and graduate) a 25% discount on monthly NJ Transit passes for rail, bus, or light rail service when they enroll online through the Quik-Tik Program. While this is undoubtedly a huge relief to those commuting from New Jersey, it still leaves students from Connecticut or elsewhere in New York wondering where, exactly, their discount lies.
The issue of commuting to the New School is a nebulous one that very few people acknowledge or talk about openly. The school is located in Manhattan, which means that students can not only commute from surrounding boroughs but also from adjacent states – Connecticut, New Jersey and elsewhere in New York state, specifically.
Carl Frisk, a Product Design major at Parsons, commutes from Fairfield, Connecticut every day for school. The monthly pass sets him back $308. This is considerably more than the $89 monthly subway cost. When asked if the school should provide a discount he says, "Yes I do. If they would even acknowledge that there are commuters coming in from out of state, that would be great, but to offer a discount would be even better."
Frisk points to unrealistic expectations placed on commuting students, when professors regularly ask for their students to visit local museums or take part in Manhattan-based activities, unaware (or uncaring) if said activities require an expensive and time-consuming event. If you don't have a monthly and are commuting back and forth from Fairfield during "peak" hours it costs $28 dollars and takes about an hour and fifteen minutes each way.
I asked professor Michael Pettinger of Eugene Lang if he had encountered any problems with commuting students. " I know of one student who takes the PATH train in the morning (and says he thinks it's more reliable than the subway), so I haven't had to cut him any slack. On the other hand, I've had students tell me some real horror stories about getting to school on NYC transit. The L Train, I'm told, is particularly notorious..."
It's true that often times commuting students are more on time and miss fewer classes than those who live in the same neighborhood, because the commitment (both time and energy-wise) is greater.
Still, the question remains why the school would offer up discounts to New Jersey Transit commuters and not Metro North commuters.
"This is an offer by New Jersey Transit. I have not heard of any discount program offered by Metro North," said Susan Heske, The New School's Senior Director of Communications and Special Projects for Student Services. When asked why the school itself doesn't offer the discount, instead of waiting for the notoriously ineffectual and cash-strapped Metro North to step up to the plate, she replied, " In some respect, unless a student lives within walking or biking distance to campus, then one could come to the conclusion that the majority of students are commuting by NJ Transit, Path, Metro North, subway, or driving."
Heske also said they didn't have specific numbers on out-of-state commuters or numbers regarding those who have utilized the New Jersey Transit offer. Users of Metro North are still waiting for a similar deal for their costly and timely commute although they may be waiting for this particular train for a while. Additional reporting by Daisy Geoffrey.
The issue of commuting to the New School is a nebulous one that very few people acknowledge or talk about openly. The school is located in Manhattan, which means that students can not only commute from surrounding boroughs but also from adjacent states – Connecticut, New Jersey and elsewhere in New York state, specifically.
Carl Frisk, a Product Design major at Parsons, commutes from Fairfield, Connecticut every day for school. The monthly pass sets him back $308. This is considerably more than the $89 monthly subway cost. When asked if the school should provide a discount he says, "Yes I do. If they would even acknowledge that there are commuters coming in from out of state, that would be great, but to offer a discount would be even better."
Frisk points to unrealistic expectations placed on commuting students, when professors regularly ask for their students to visit local museums or take part in Manhattan-based activities, unaware (or uncaring) if said activities require an expensive and time-consuming event. If you don't have a monthly and are commuting back and forth from Fairfield during "peak" hours it costs $28 dollars and takes about an hour and fifteen minutes each way.
I asked professor Michael Pettinger of Eugene Lang if he had encountered any problems with commuting students. " I know of one student who takes the PATH train in the morning (and says he thinks it's more reliable than the subway), so I haven't had to cut him any slack. On the other hand, I've had students tell me some real horror stories about getting to school on NYC transit. The L Train, I'm told, is particularly notorious..."
It's true that often times commuting students are more on time and miss fewer classes than those who live in the same neighborhood, because the commitment (both time and energy-wise) is greater.
Still, the question remains why the school would offer up discounts to New Jersey Transit commuters and not Metro North commuters.
"This is an offer by New Jersey Transit. I have not heard of any discount program offered by Metro North," said Susan Heske, The New School's Senior Director of Communications and Special Projects for Student Services. When asked why the school itself doesn't offer the discount, instead of waiting for the notoriously ineffectual and cash-strapped Metro North to step up to the plate, she replied, " In some respect, unless a student lives within walking or biking distance to campus, then one could come to the conclusion that the majority of students are commuting by NJ Transit, Path, Metro North, subway, or driving."
Heske also said they didn't have specific numbers on out-of-state commuters or numbers regarding those who have utilized the New Jersey Transit offer. Users of Metro North are still waiting for a similar deal for their costly and timely commute although they may be waiting for this particular train for a while. Additional reporting by Daisy Geoffrey.
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