The discussion our campus is not having

The campus where I work is writing a new strategic plan.  Faculty senate is working on a new general education framework.  Departments are developing new programs.  As far as I can tell none of these conversations includes considering the implications of continued rises in gas prices (they are already over $4 per gallon here).

To me this is a huge oversight given that: (1) we are commuter campus located 10 miles from even small communities with classes also taught at offsight locations up to 20 miles away, (2) faculty are commuting as much as 60 miles each way, (3) there is no public transit serving campus, and (4) the majority of our students are just barely making ends meet while trying to support families and attend school.

Not considering the issue of cost of living increases seems decidedly shortsighted on our part.  In fact we seem to be moving in the opposite direction.  I believe it was Inside Higher Ed that recently had a story about community colleges moving from 5 day a week classes to 4 days.  We have more in common with Community Colleges than with Research I Universities but we are being pushed to move our MW classes to a MWF format.  The general education proposals include considerable amounts of service learning and outside of class involvement on campus.  In other words, extra trips and increased childcare costs.

Is anyone on a campus having conversations about the rising costs of fuel and how it will affect campus life?

Edited to add:  We don’t have dorms and most of our students live with families. The families are fairly evenly split between students who live with parents and students who live with spouses and children.

The only thing I can think of for us to do in the short term is to set up a way for students to coordinate car pools.  Not sure of either the logistics or the concerns the campus attorney might have about that one.