The Associated Student Government (ASG) discussed problems with Bell Tower dining and passed a bill to reform electric vehicle (EV) charging rates at Miami University.
The bill would encourage the university to move to a kilowatt-hour pricing structure as opposed to the hour-based system they have now. The current pricing charges users $2.50 per hour for four hours and $4.50 for every hour after.
Senator Charles Amara, who introduced the bill, said he spoke with university administrators who told him the current pricing structure was based on parking rates in Uptown Oxford as opposed to the amount of electricity a car takes to charge.
There are currently 16 chargers in Oxford, 14 of which are operated by the university. The two chargers owned by the city charge $0.50 per hour.
Senator Brian Mead said he has an electric car but chose not to bring it to Miami because of what it would cost for him to use it.
“I think it creates a system where people that do have electric cars … [don’t] want to bring it based off the pricing, and frankly, it’s cheaper for me to drive a gas-fired car than it is to have an electric car here,” Mead said.
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Some senators brought up concerns about the feasibility of changing the pricing structure. ASG has passed resolutions involving Miami parking before, although the governing body’s ability to influence parking services is very limited.
Senator Gabe Slark said institutions like Miami typically don’t charge market price for an EV charger because the market price is so low. Often, the funds from the additional fees go towards similar initiatives.
Amara said the bill does not give a specific price the charger should be set at. He also said he does not expect the chargers to be market price, but hopes the university can make the system more reasonable for students with EVs.
“The main point of this bill is that the price structure that they have here is disconnected with how long it actually takes to charge a vehicle,” Amara said.
ASG voted to approve the bill. The Safety and Transportation Committee and the Sustainability Committee will work with the university to try to implement the pricing changes.
This bill is the first piece of legislation ASG has passed this academic year.
ASG also heard student concerns about issues with food orders at Bell Tower. The dining hall does not alert students if they are out of an item, like lettuce, and instead substitutes it with another item. The concern said the dining hall should find some way to communicate when they are out of stock, as some students can’t eat a meal with substitutions due to allergies.
The concern was committed to the Campus Affairs Committee.
ASG will meet again at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 in the Joslin Senate Chambers.
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