Colorado State University students have launched a new fee area review board focused solely on transportation fee spending recommendations, and it is looking for initial applications.
The Alternative Transportation Fee Advisory Board reports to the Associated Students of Colorado State University Student Fee Review Board and recommends how student transportation fee dollars are spent on campus.
It’s currently accepting its first round of applications through Jan. 20 for alternative transportation projects on campus, including educational programs and infrastructure.
Qualifying projects must benefit students. Projects also will be evaluated for criteria that includes enhancing transportation safety; meeting project design benchmarks such as an extended lifecycle and construction and maintenance costs; and environmental benefits. A full list of project criteria is available on the board’s website, along with the application process and proposal form. Requests for matching funds for grants also will be eligible for funding.
Examples of projects that will be considered include bike and pedestrian infrastructure, covered or secure bike parking, enhanced transit service, and transportation-sharing projects.
Alternative transportation projects
Recently, student fees have supported alternative transportation projects on and benefiting campus, including expanding the Around the Horn route to the southwest side of campus, adding Transfort Sunday and late night service, and adding bike and pedestrian counters across campus.
Because the board is in the initial phases of development, project proposals submitted through the application process will be ranked in order of priority funding. Final projects will be recommended by the board to the Student Fee Review Board for funding consideration, and then presented by the proposal authors to the board for consideration of funding from the alternative transportation fee account.
Funding for alternative transportation, such as free student use of Transfort, has been a fee under ASCSU since the 1970s. The formation of an alternative transportation-focused board marks the third student fee board that makes spending recommendations to ASCSU; other boards are the University Fee Advisory Board and the University Technology Fee Advisory Board. The overarching Student Fee Advisory Board oversees all other student fee spending.
