The rise in the cost of gas has put a strain on students and faculty members who commute to Bakersfield College.

Dee Quatraro, a communications instructor, drives to Bakersfield from Tulare four times a week.

“Yesterday, I filled up in McFarland for $52.89 at the Chevron station. That’s where it was when the gas tank was on empty,” she said.

Quatraro rideshares with a fellow communications instructor, Jill Alcorn, who lives in Visalia. She occasionally helps students by dropping them off on her way home, advocating carpooling as a possible solution to student budget issues.

“I feel sorry for students who have these long commutes,” Quatraro said. “Maybe we could do something with carpools to encourage students from outlying areas to rideshare.”

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many states have seen gas prices rise, and California has been one of the most impacted areas. The average price of gasoline in California is currently about $3 per gallon, down 5 cents from last week but costs are still nearly a dollar more than it cost at the same time last year.

When asked about what he could do to help students who live outside of Bakersfield and commute to school, Student Government Association President Ash West, admitted to not having thought of how the SGA could help students.

“I never thought of that. No one ever came to me with that,” he said.

West does, however, support the idea of setting up a carpool system for students who drive in from outer areas such as Delano, Taft and Shafter. Another possible option is a student discount for the GET Bus for those who buy an SGA discount card, but West does not promise anything will come from the idea.

To make a profit, gas stations also mark up prices, anywhere from a few cents to a dime.

“There’s only a five to six cent difference charged,” said Jassi Guron, manager of the Lucky 7, Mt. Vernon, a Shell station across from BC. “It also depends on your [competitors] and the street price.”

The base cost of gas is divided into several segments. According to the Energy Information Administration Web site, a statistical agency for the U.S. Department of Energy, currently 19 percent of the total cost of gasoline goes toward taxes. The cost of refining totals 18 percent. Eight percent covers distribution and marketing, which includes the transportation costs. Crude oil takes up the largest portion of gas cost, about 55 percent of the total price.

Guron has not had complaints about prices but said that students are buying less as prices have risen.