Students Frustrated about Gas Price Increase

By Steven-Ross Bugayong | Published April 16, 2022

Gas prices are at an all-time high. In New Jersey, gasoline prices have climbed to an average of $4.18  a gallon for regular gas, almost doubling the cost of $2.92 a gallon drivers were paying this time last year. The increase in gas prices has been a rough go, affecting everyone, including those who commute to school.

The increase in gas prices stems from several factors. One reason is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is the second leading oil distributor in the world. With tensions at an all-time high, there is a concern that oil distribution will stifle, thus causing a higher oil demand.

 Another is the effects of the pandemic and how it jolted the economy, everyone lost jobs, and companies lost money. People weren’t traveling, but as vaccines rolled out and cases decreased, Americans found it safe to travel again, thus making gas more vital than ever. To double down on the increase in gas prices, Kean students have been making sacrifices and changing the way they do daily activities. 

“For me, I have been picking up extra hours at work and started door dashing,” Justin DosSantos, a junior majoring in Forensic Science, said. “It’s crazy that all the money I have been making from Door Dash has been to pay for gas. As a college student, any dollar you can make means the world. It’s just unfortunate that half of my paycheck goes into paying for the gas in my car.”                                               

Like DosSantos, many other students who have part-time jobs have picked up extra hours at work to ensure they have the proper funds to pay for gas while also spending money to buy the essentials to live their everyday lives.                                       

Kennedy Griffen, a senior majoring in Communication, has been picking up extra shifts at work to ensure she has additional funds to pay for gas and has also been avoiding driving as much as possible.

“I travel to both campuses union and ocean; I honestly try not to drive that much if I don’t have to,” Griffen said. “I live across the street from where I work, so I’ll walk or ride my bike if it’s nice out. But I’m trying not to go to the union campus next semester so that I don’t have to deal with gas.” 

Kean is a commuter school, even though housing is available to students. Most students who attend the university commute to campus daily to achieve their academic goals and students have been affected by the increase in gas prices one way or another, no matter how far they travel.

“I spent over 200 hundred dollars on gas in the past two weeks,” DosSantos said. “I only go to campus twice a week, but it’s a forty-mile drive for me. I already spent a lot of money on gas before the gas prices were like this, but this worsened. But there’s nothing I can do. All I got to do is sacrifice some things that I want.”

Sacrifice is a sentiment that many students follow. To save money on gas, junior and Communication major Maggie Lambuster has made changes to save money on gas.

“It’s changed how I’ve been making choices lately,” Lambuster said. “Instead of going out and hanging out with friends, I stay in, instead of getting something I want with the money I earned from work. I’m sacrificing fun for gas, and it’s crazy.”

With all the trouble in the world, the increase in gas prices is total madness. The best thing to know is that eventually, prices will lower again, but when they will do so is yet to be determined.

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