Gas prices pinch student pockets

American River College student Mark Thompson used to have spare cash to buy school supplies. These days, however, most of his money goes right into his gas tank.

"I'm already a college student on a short budget," said Thompson, who studies computer engineering. "The gas prices have left me with no extra money for anything."

Thompson isn't alone. With gas prices in Sacramento nearing $4 per gallon, many students have to re-evaluate their spending habits and make difficult decisions about where to put their resources. What good are textbooks if you can't afford the commute to campus?

To save money, Thompson now takes the bus when he doesn't have a night class. But he has to drive in the evenings because "the bus isn't running by the time my class ends," he said.

California currently has the highest gas prices in the nation, and Sacramento has seen more than an 80-cent increase per gallon over the past year. The Tower Mart gas station down the street from ARC was recently selling unleaded gas for $3.93 per gallon.

Prices dipped briefly this past week, with gas falling about 2 cents per gallon in Sacramento. But that reprieve could be short lived, with some experts predicting that gas could creep close to $5 per gallon this summer.

The higher prices are the result of several global factors, according to published reports. The growing economies in China and India require more fuel, and increased demand from those countries has pushed up price.

In addition, unrest in the oil-rich Middle East – especially in Egypt and Libya – has recently caused crude oil price to spike at more than $100 per barrel, as has the earthquake in Japan. The highest price for a barrel of crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange in 2010 was $87.15.

State and federal taxes also affect prices. In California, the state tax per gallon is 35.3 cents per gallon. Federal taxes are 18.4 cents per gallon.

But most students at ARC are less concerned with the why of rising gas prices, instead focusing on how they are going to deal with the skyrocketing costs. Students interviewed expressed a growing frustration and concern about how they were going to make ends meet.

"I think it's ridiculous and out of control and only going to get worse," said Candice Hammer, who spends about $30 a week on gas.

Student Vincent Gonzales has taken to carpooling with his brother to school.

"I used to shell out $40 a week" on gas, he said. Carpooling, he explained, saves him $10 a week.

Roommates Laura Larson and Barbara Baldwin have also carpooled more often. They suggest that others seem to be carpooling as well, because parking spaces at ARC now seem easier to find.

While taking the bus and carpooling can both save money, some students, like Hammer, have turned to two-wheel, environmentally friendly alternatives.

"I can bicycle because I live close to campus," she said.

bakerx@imail.losrios.edu