UMD students push SmarTrip IDs

The University of Maryland may integrate SmarTrip cards into its student IDs. Under the proposed program, instead of printing new student IDs on regular plain ID cards, the University would use blank SmarTrip cards. This would make it much easier for students to ride Metro, removing the necessary step of buying a SmarTrip or dealing with the unreliable paper farecards.

According to Joanna Calabrese, one of the program’s proponents, this program would strengthen the bonds between UMD and the rest of the region, encourage Metro use and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

UMD’s relationship with DC and Metro has varied over the years. When Metro planners were designing the Green Line, UMD was far less diverse than today and still held ties to its agricultural roots. University President Elkins pushed for an alignment that placed the station farther from campus.

Today, however, the metropolitan region has grown and the University has evolved. Its Strategic Plan now calls for greater access to DC, to benefit from the University’s proximity to the nation’s capital. Proponents wrote, “The initiative also supports the goal to become a national model for a green university by promoting the use of public transportation and decreasing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles.”

The University’s Student Government Association (SGA) voted at the end of April to fund the program for incoming freshman. The program would have cost $23,000 for the first year and $17,000 in future years. The SGA would have used its reserves of about $17,000, but would have still had to find the last $6,000. However, the outgoing SGA president vetoed that bill.

The Diamondback covered the intricacies of the controversy, ranging from the process by which SGA passed the bill to the appropriateness of providing services mostly to freshmen. Leaders also disagreed on whether the SGA should spend its money on student services or on broader initiatives such as this SmarTrip program.

SGA could pass the bill again in the fall, which has the support of the new President. However, this would happen too late for next year’s freshmen to get SmarTrips. Meanwhile, according to Calabrese, University student affairs officials are looking for private donations or even state grants to restore the program. In the longer term, SGA could push to increase student fees to cover the ongoing cost, though any fee increase is politically difficult. UMD’s student fees cover all student services, including dining, gyms, and transportation, with no contribution from the state and no portion of tuition going to these programs, Calabrese explained.