Welcome back Riverside City College, to another year filled with optimism.

During the winter break, the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees voted to remove Moreno Valley College from RCCD’s Go-Pass program contract with Riverside Transit Agency.

According to the agenda item (IV-C-1) from the Dec. 4, 2012 Board of Trustee meeting, students from the Ben Clark Training Center questioned the payment of the mandatory fee. The students also identified the lack of opportunity to vote in the spring 2010 student body election to implement the program at Moreno Valley College, and they do not have any direct benefit of the service.

In spring 2011, Moreno Valley College staff attempted to work a deal with Riverside Transit Agency to have a flexible payment fee for the Ben Clark Training Center students and have service provided at the facility, according to the agenda item.

The Riverside Transit Agency was not able to meet the requests from the Moreno Valley College staff, the agenda item said.

During the 2011-2012 academic year, Moreno Valley College students and administration had discussions to review the transit service provided at the college, and Associated Students of Moreno Valley College held a survey on campus where the majority of students approved the idea to eliminate the Go-Pass program, the agenda item said.

Associated Students of Moreno Valley College went ahead and put the issue on the college’s general student body election, which was held on May 1-2, 2012, so the students can vote, and the students decided to eliminate the Go-Pass Transportation Fee, according to the agenda item.

The RCCD Board of Trustees voted, 3-2, on Jan. 22 to eliminate Moreno Valley College from its contract, and Trustee Mary Figueroa, who cast a no vote, told The Press-Enterprise’s Danya Straehley that they voted to change the contract because they need to respect the students’ vote.

The transportation fee was placed in 2010 after RCC and Moreno Valley College students voted to keep the free service from the Riverside Transit Agency open to the students, and it required the students to each pay $5.50.

Although the Ben Clark Training Center students have a legitimate reason for not wanting to pay a fee, because the service did not operate at their facility, Moreno Valley College students should have figured out a way to keep the service available to the rest of the student body.

Moreno Valley College students basically flipped the issue around because those students who use the bus to commute to the campus are now affected, and have to find other ways to get to the campus, adding a new stress to the many other problems college students have nowadays.

The college should have looked into this issue prior to committing to the contract; they should have found out if the free service reached all of its facilities.

Two years ago when the students went to the polling booths to decide on the issue, it was obvious everyone agreed it was a good idea to keep the free service, even if it meant each student had to chip in to pay the tab.

The decision at Moreno Valley College is not going to affect RCC, but it seems like every RCC student is happy to pay the fee, even if they do not use the service.

“I haven’t paid much attention to the fees, but I don’t mind paying the fee,” said Anna Osborne, a RCC student. Lets hope RCC students remain that way.