Starting this semester, UGBC and the Division of Student Affairs are providing free CharlieCards for Lynch School of Education and Human Development (LSEHD) and Connell School of Nursing (CSON) students with high financial need to cover transportation to practicum and clinical experiences.
Cami Kulbieda, UGBC academic affairs committee chair and LSEHD ’26, began working on the initiative after learning that she and her peers would have to pay out of pocket for their required LSEHD practicum experiences.
“I saw an injustice happening on campus,” Kulbieda said. “And I want what is required of students here to be easily accessible and something that everyone can participate in without having to stress about that financially.”
All elementary education, secondary education, and applied psychology and human development majors in LSEHD must complete practicum experiences or student teaching to graduate, according to the LSEHD website.
Similarly, starting in their sophomore year, students in CSON must complete clinical experiences as a graduation requirement, according to CSON.
According to Joe Du Pont, associate vice president of career services and integrated learning, the Division of Student Affairs is funding the program and providing CharlieCards to students in the pilot. The program is specifically targeted toward those with high financial need, Du Pont added.
“Eligible students receive an invitation to participate in the program, along with a link to a Google Form where they can request their CharlieCard,” Du Pont wrote in a statement to The Heights. “The form includes basic information to confirm their placement details and transportation needs.”
Practicums and clinical experiences take place in schools and hospitals across Boston, requiring students to arrange transportation to and from these locations.
Kulbieda said she knew that a significant portion of students were paying out of pocket for these transportation costs, which created a significant financial burden for some.
“No one should be paying out of pocket for something that is a graduation requirement,” Kulbieda said. “It may seem like a small amount of money for some people, but for others, it’s not.”
A CSON senior participating in the pilot program said she was happy to see students’ requests being taken seriously.
“I think this is a great step in the right direction,” the student wrote in an anonymous statement to The Heights. “This is something we have been complaining about and begging for for years, so I am really glad to see something being done.”
Kulbieda was surprised that the issue remained unaddressed. She asked the LSEHD and CSON deans whether anyone had tried to implement a solution in the past.
“Every cycle of students that comes in is looking to solve this problem,” Kulbieda said. “It’s a problem that people have been noticing for over a decade.”
Looking to solve this long-standing problem, Kulbieda reached out to the Division of Student Affairs, which agreed to provide financial support for the project.
“We were motivated to support this initiative because we recognize the additional financial burden that transportation costs can place on students with the greatest financial challenges,” Du Pont wrote.
Du Pont said he hopes the program will allow students to dedicate themselves to their coursework without the added stress of paying for transportation.
“Providing this support means that students can focus on their academic and professional growth without the added stress of transportation costs they may not have anticipated or be available to afford easily,” Du Pont wrote.
According to the student, there is still work to be done with the program. For some students, public transportation is not the most efficient way to travel between campus and their clinical and practicum sites, the student said.
“Many of our clinicals are not at all T accessible (or would take over an hour to get to via T and therefore just are not realistic to use the T to get to), so it is not a perfect remedy,” the student wrote. “But I am grateful for any compensation and that these conversations are finally being taken seriously.”
Du Pont also said he hopes to find areas of improvement for the program and evaluate its effectiveness.
“Ultimately, we hope to secure sustainable funding and potentially expand the program to support more students in the future,” Du Pont wrote.
