One of the aftermath’s of Hurricane Katrina is the sudden hike in gas prices all across the country. Gas prices soared to a maximum of $3.50 per gallon from the average of $2.40 a gallon. This has been a problem for Quinnipiac faculty and students, especially those who commute from nearby towns.
“I have started to plan my schedule differently because of the high gas price. Normally I would go home if I had time between my morning and night classes. But now I stay on campus all day,” said Kim Aiksnoras, a senior commuter.
For students who live in Hamden, the price hike has not greatly affected their commute to school. However, it has narrowed down their budget for other social activities such as Labor Day trips.
“My friends and I ended up going to New York for the Labor Day weekend and we spent more on gas than anything else. It definitely affected our budget – we did not end up doing as much as we wanted to,” said Sanjita Srinivasan, a senior living in Hamden.
Jeremy Coy, a freshman from Harvington, drives forty-five minutes to get to school.
“I lucked out because my parents pay for gas as long as I keep my grades up. On the weekends I am planning to use a more fuel efficient car to save on gas,” Coy said.
Timothy Dansdill, associate professor of English at the College of Liberal Arts, offers another alternative to the current problem.
“Having lived in Europe and in Canada where high energy costs are simply a part of every day life, I would argue that we as a country have had our long, subsidized orgy and cut rate addiction party for too long,” Dansdill said.
“Our capitalist system needs to adjust itself to more socialist ways of spreading out the cost of living and consumption across those economic sectors and class structures that can most afford to pay for higher energy costs.”
Prices have gone down considerably as the pipelines affected by Katrina are returning to their normal strength. However, consumers should keep in mind that today’s oil problem is not just a temporary malfunction in oil supply. Many predict that gas prices will continue to rise in sporadic intervals until the public is desensitized to paying high prices for fuel.
