Students with tight budgets weigh the price of commuting from home to campus

By CINDY GONZALES

Gas prices are on the rise and Fresno State students who commute are wondering if they are spending more money filling up their tanks than filling out a rent check.

Carey Frank, a sophomore English major, said she has spent more than $100 on gas since the beginning of April, commuting from Hanford to Fresno State three times a week.

“I thought I’d save money commuting but these gas prices are killing me,” Frank said.

If gas remains at its current price, Frank said, she would be looking for an apartment in Fresno when the fall semester begins.

“I’m spending more money on gas than my friends pay in rent,” Frank said.

Dale Simmons and Nick Marquez, both undeclared freshmen, carpool daily from Madera. Simmons said he and Marquez began carpooling because they live next door to each other, not to save money on gas.

Both Simmons and Marquez drive full-sized pickup trucks, and now they are thinking about renting an apartment near campus next semester.

“I keep maxing out my gas card every month,” Simmons said. “If I don’t move, my whole check will go to pay for my gas bill.”

Marquez said he didn’t move to Fresno because he never thought commuting would cost him “so much money.”

“Madera is a close drive, but it’s not close enough,” Marquez said. “I just wish I would have known that before we started commuting.”

Rachel Pierce, a senior psychology major, commutes from Selma four times a week. Pierce said she spent the same amount on gas last month as she did when she lived in an apartment near campus last semester. Pierce moved in with her fiance in Selma to save money for their wedding.

“Commuting isn’t as convenient as I thought it would be,” Pierce said.

Commuting may be costly, but for some, it’s the only option.

Annabel Serrano, a junior counseling major, commutes three times a week from Kingsburg. Serrano, a full-time student and single mother, said she hasn’t moved because her daughter is in a “really good child daycare center.”

“It would cost me less to live in Fresno, but I feel my daughter is very happy where she’s at and that’s all that matters,” she said.

Serrano said she pays more to live in Kingsburg, but until she finds a “very safe and reputable daycare environment,” she is going to commute.

Kyle Dermell, a senior liberal arts major, has commuted from Visalia every semester. Dermell said it would be easier to move to Fresno, but he has a “really good job and a cheap condo lease.”

“Commuting has its pros and cons but I’m used to it,” Dermell said. “It’s not bad all the time.”

Editor’s note: Look out for the Housing Guide coming Friday.