O-Pass Gets Approval With Student Votes

To the Editors:

I am writing to thank the Oberlin College community for their support of the Ohio PIRG Get on the Bus! Campaign.
Last fall, Ohio PIRG worked with Student Senate to put a referendum question before the student body to increase bus routes to the airport (where one can transfer to a train and go to Cleveland for free) before and after breaks, on the weekends, and at the beginning and end of semesters to give students free and unlimited access to the entire Lorain County Transit system for an additional $7 increase in the Student Activities Fee per student per semester.
This past week, Student Senate released the official results of the referendum and the bus question (or O-Pass) passed overwhelmingly! One thousand, two hundred and thirteen students voted in favor of the proposal (86.3 percent of those who voted) with only 104 students opposed.
The purpose of the Get on the Bus! Campaign is to increase availability and accessibility of public transportation, to build bridges between Oberlin College students and the larger community and to increase public transportation use.
The proposal will be presented to the Board of Trustees this weekend for final approval. The O-Pass will hopefully start operating next fall.

–Winston Vaughan
College junior
Chair, Ohio PIRG