When Calvin Foster, a Winston-Salem State University senior, budgeted for school costs this year, he had no way of knowing that gas prices would take an unexpected leap.
The nationwide average for a gallon of gasoline is $3.05, although prices are much higher in most major metropolitan areas. What this has meant for Foster, who commutes to campus from Greensboro, is that he’s been forced to cut back on extras.
“I miss being able to eat out,” he said. “I don’t go out to eat as much as I used to.” Foster said he selects premium gas to fill his Lexus, and a recent trip to the pump set him back $45.00. “I refill my tank every three days,” sighed the business administration major.
Commuters to WSSU number 964, and most do not live within walking distance of the school. A 2004 student housing survey found that most WSSU commuters (73%) drive alone to school, and only 11 percent share rides.
For months, U.S. refineries have been running at full throttle to keep up with U.S. demand for gasoline.
After Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, gasoline wholesalers began rationing supplies to service stations. Some stations ran out of fuel as customers in Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and elsewhere rushed to fill up.
Power was restored to three-quarters of the storm-tattered Gulf Coast region as of Labor Day weekend, allowing pipelines to increase the flow of oil and gasoline, especially to the East Coast, which has seen spot shortages and runs on gasoline stations.
The Bush administration has also opened emergency oil stockpiles, and European allies pledged to send 30 million barrels of oil and gasoline from their emergency supplies to the United States to help bridge short-term supply disruptions.
For some students the rise in gas prices has meant fewer trips back home, and to other nonessential places. Ebone Foster, also a senior and no relation to Calvin Foster, said she commutes 15 minutes one-way to school. She added that she recently paid $60.00 to fill up her Ford Explorer. “I don’t go home anyway, but now I definitely won’t be doing too much unnecessary driving.”
A physical education major involved in extracurricular activities, Ebone Foster said she, too, has had to cutback on spending. “A new comforter set would be nice,” she said. But a nice comforter, which can cost anywhere from $60.00 up, will have to wait. It’s money that the Henderson, NC native said she’d now need to fill up.