Gas prices affecting college class attendance, recreation - Katrina Bruno, FIUSM

The see-saw phenomenon of gas prices has college students stressed and pinching pennies. Many students who commute on a daily basis are spending hundreds of dollars on gas, in addition on their tuition, just to get an education. As if we were not already paying fees for University services we do not feel benefit us completely, we now have to pay close to $4 dollars per gallon to even make it here. I believe that these rising gas prices will significantly affect the college experience. The stress of the economy has encouraged me and other students to keep out of the classroom and stick with online courses. The $199 extra fee for an online course seems like chump-change next to the hundreds upon hundreds of dollars I would spend in gas driving to school. It is unfortunate because many students who find themselves more engaged in a classroom environment might no longer have that option.