Staff Council members at a meeting Tuesday discussed advocating for the University to help offset staff commuting costs.
Staff Council President Kim Fulmer proposed that the Staff Council ask officials to provide a stipend for staff to put toward their Metro passes or parking costs after the University said it couldn’t provide U-Passes — which give students unlimited free rides on Metrorail and Metrobus — to staff due to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority rules regarding their free Metro pass program. D.C. ranks third among U.S. cities for the highest commuting costs, with residents spending an average of $11,067 annually on transportation costs, according to the Chamber of Commerce.
“A lot of us just can’t afford to live in D.C.,” Fulmer said. “So for a lot of us, driving is the only option, or Metroing is the only option.”
GW undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the U-Pass program for a $100 charge per semester while graduate students have the option to opt out. GW determines faculty and staff’s monthly parking rates on their salaries, vehicle type and whether or not they carpool. Parking rates at the Foggy Bottom garage and lots are proportional to earnings, costing $150 per month for employees with an annual income under $59,199 and $285 for those earning more than $107,635.
Staff Development & Recognition Chair Allene David said the high cost of living doesn’t only affect staff who live in the District. She added that the recent Metro price hike over the summer — which bumped bus fares from $2 to $2.25 and rail fares from a range of $2 to $6 depending on distance to $2.25 and $6.75, respectively — makes the cost of public transportation and parking a car virtually equal, with only a 50 to 75 cent difference.
“No matter where you work, the impact and the increases and our benefits are not equal to what is happening in the economic world,” David said.
Parliamentarian Emily Lewis said the pre-tax commuter benefit offered by the University does not alleviate the burden of transportation costs, and while the benefit does reduce taxes when staff use the Metro, they would prefer a stipend to put toward the total costs.
GW offers full-time, part-time, student and temporary GW employees who are not eligible for benefits the option to set aside pre-tax dollars from their paycheck to use on Metro Transit, Metro Parking and Select Pass through SmartBenefits, according to GW’s Human Resource Management and Development page.
“We want an actual stipend paid for us to be able to come in,” Lewis said. “We need to make it clear that this lovely pre-tax benefit that they think is the greatest thing since sliced bread is not.”
Fulmer said the discount on Metro prices that staff expressed wanting illustrates how Staff Council committees serve as platforms to address staff issues. She said communication with committees helps the council make recommendations to GW and keep staff “happy.”
“We want to have a positive experience for our staff members working at GW, because we want to retain talent at GW,” Fulmer said.
Fulmer also said during her presidential report that Vice President for Safety and Operations Baxter Goodly approached her about the opportunity for any Staff Council member to serve on the selection committee for a continuation of GW’s campus master plan. Fulmer said the staff member would help guide officials through the process of building the campus master plan, which includes attending related meetings and giving updates to the rest of the Staff Council during their monthly meetings.
The University developed the Strategic Campus and Facilities Master Plan in 2007 with an anticipated completion date in 2027. The Plan is designed to host a “long-term vision” for how to best have the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses “support future aspirations.”
Part of this strategy may include acquiring existing residential buildings, but the University is unable to change the initial purpose of the buildings. Fulmer said the University is working to pick an architecture firm for their next Planned Unit Development once the current Plan expires.
Fulman said this role grants staff “a seat at the table” in decision-making, one of the Staff Council’s primary requests to the University. GW has already contacted five firms, and are now looking to build the committee to select which firm. It would be “direct staff input on high level decision making.”
“When I was approached for this opportunity, I had this realization that what we sought in creating the Staff Council was happening right before my eyes,” Fulmer said.
Staff Council members also elected Milken Institute School of Public Health Director of Academic Planning & Accreditation Katherine Puskarz to represent Milken and Jonathan Ragone, School of Engineering and Applied Science Executive Director of Undergraduate Studies and Student Success, to represent SEAS after the positions were not filled from the previous vote last October.
Fulmer said the Athletics and Recreation department position is vacant because no nominations have come forward.