U-Pass eligibility, exemption, and subsidy

Eligibility

All undergraduate and graduate, part-time and full-time SFU students who are taking at least one U-Pass eligible course and are assessed a student activity fee participate in the U-Pass Program.

• If you are not assessed the Simon Fraser Student Society or Graduate Student Society fee, you will not be eligible for the U-Pass Program.
• If you are taking distance education courses or designated off-campus courses only, you will not be eligible for the U-Pass Program.
• If you do not live in Metro Vancouver (the GVRD) according to your SFU mailing address and attend campus one day per week or less throughout the term (based on your class schedule as shown in the Course Schedule at students.sfu.ca/enrollment/schedule.html), you will not be eligible for the U-Pass Program.

The U-Pass fee is charged to all eligible students at the time of enrollment in classes. Ineligible students will have the U-Pass fee reversal applied to their student account by the end of the first week of classes for the term.

Exemption

Contact the U-Pass Program at upass-info@sfu.ca or call 778.782.6805 if you have any questions regarding the following procedures, required documentation, or receipt of faxed documents.

Automatic Exemption

Your U-Pass fee will be reversed automatically from your SFU student financial account by the first week of the Fall term if you are:

• not assessed a student activity fee;
• not enrolled in any eligible, on-campus university credit courses;
• living outside Metro Vancouver (GVRD) and attending campus one day per week or less throughout the term (based on your class schedule as shown in the Course Schedule).
  
  Please be aware that many courses do not have scheduled classes (graduate thesis, directed study, practicum course, etc.) and are designated in the enrollment system as on-campus courses. In order to be exempted from on-campus courses being completed outside Metro Vancouver (GVRD), you must complete an Exemption Request form by the deadline and provide the required supporting documentation from your faculty/department to verify you have permission to complete the on-campus course outside Metro Vancouver (the GVRD). Please see detailed instructions below.

Application for exemption

The deadline for submitting a U-Pass Exemption request for Fall is Friday, January 15, 2010.

To apply for a U-Pass exemption, pick up or download the Exemption Request form, and mail, fax, scan and email, or drop off the completed form with all required documentation to the U-Pass Program, Student Services, MBC 3000, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 (fax 778.782.4969), upass-info@sfu.ca or at any SFU campus Registrar and Information Services counter.

*Please note that incomplete U-Pass exemption requests missing supporting documentation or supporting documentation without a completed request will be returned to the student by mail.

The following documentation must accompany your application for each category:

1. If you live outside of Metro Vancouver (GVRD) and will not be on campus more than one day per week on average throughout the term but take courses which are designated as "on campus" courses (e.g., graduate thesis, research project, practicum course, field practice, etc.), attach a signed, original letter from your faculty or departmental assistant verifying you have permission to complete your coursework outside Metro Vancouver (GVRD) during the term. If this arrangement will continue beyond one term, please clearly indicate the terms for which you require exemption in the application and in your supporting letter. Up to three terms can be requested at one time.


2. If you have a documented physical or psychological condition that prevents you from using public transit, please provide medical documentation to the SFU Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD) for verification (see students.sfu.ca/disabilityaccess for details regarding the required documentation). If you qualify, the CSD will provide you with a letter recommending you for exemption which you will need to include with your exemption request. Please do not forward any personal medical documentation to the U-Pass office.


3. If you hold a valid, non-transferable TransLink transit pass from another institution, employer, or the government, you must provide a photocopy of both sides of your pass. If you are a registered HandyDART or CNIB user, please provide proof of your status or a photocopy of both sides of your identification. You may contact the TransLink Service Contracts Office at 604.453.4634 to request required documentation.
   *Please note: Valid transit passes without an expiry date can only be used for a single term exemption.


4. If you will be on a Practicum or at a Field School and residing and studying or working outside of Metro Vancouver (the GVRD) for the duration of the term, but enrolled in an on-campus course section, your coordinator or department can provide you with a signed letter to verify your course is held off-campus, for inclusion with your exemption request.

Subsidy if you do not qualify for exemption or inclusion

The deadline for submitting a U-Pass Subsidy Request for Fall is 4:00pm on Friday, January 22, 2010.

If you do not qualify for a U-Pass exemption or inclusion into the program but feel that there are extenuating circumstances that genuinely limit your ability to reasonably use or obtain a U-Pass, you may apply for consideration for either a partial or full U-Pass subsidy.

In all requests for a subsidy, you must provide

• a completed and signed U-Pass Subsidy Request
• a letter of explanation
• third party proof of address
• a current class schedule
• a complete 3-step TransLink Trip Plan: follow the three-step instructions at http://tripplanning.translink.bc.ca
  (see 3-step Trip Plan examples under Circumstance 1 below)
• any additional supporting documentation as outlined for each circumstance (see below)

All complete subsidy requests submitted by the deadline are considered by SFU’s U-Pass Subsidy Committee.

The U-Pass Subsidy Request form may be picked up at any SFU campus Registrar and Information Services counter or download the Subsidy Request. Complete and mail, fax, scan and email, or drop off your request, along with all of the required documentation, by the deadline listed above to the U-Pass Program, Student Services, MBC 3000, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, fax 778.782.4969, upass-info@sfu.ca or at any SFU campus Registrar and Information Services counter.

Please be aware that subsidy funds are limited and ability to prove extenuating circumstances does not guarantee reimbursement.

Students qualifying for a full subsidy must be willing to immediately surrender their U-Pass for the term. Students approved for inclusion to the U-Pass Program for the term will have the U-Pass fee added to their financial account within 2 business days of the Committee’s decision and will be notified to pick up a U-Pass for the term.

Extenuating circumstances which allow you to apply for subsidy

Extenuating circumstances and required supporting documentation include:

1. Unreasonable one-way transit time to campus of over 1.75 hours. Required supporting documentation is the 3 Step Transit Trip Plan from TransLink’s Trip Planner showing travel time from your home or work address to an SFU campus of over 1.75 hours for each trip. If you attend more than one class, each class should have a trip plan for the date(s) and time(s) you travel to an SFU campus.

Step 1  From TransLink Trip Plan website, enter start point in “From”, end point campus (i.e. Surrey, Burnaby or Vancouver) in “To”; enter your time of arrival or departure in “When”; select “trip time” under “Search Option”.  PRINT page to show these details, then click “Next Step” to go to step 2 (see screenshot).

Step 2  PRINT this second page showing your “Options” and travel times.  Then click on a trip “Detail” button to show trip route (see screenshot).

Step 3  PRINT third step trip detail page showing “Itinerary” and “Step by Step” trip description (see screenshot).

Map showing travel to your nearest transit stop in Metro Vancouver (GVRD) if you must travel 2km or more to reach transit.  Map should show travel time and distance from your starting point to the nearest transit stop where you will begin your 3-step trip and Trip Plan. (Suggested online mapping: maps.google.ca.)

2. Demonstrated need to use a vehicle for work or family responsibilities. Required supporting documentation to show vehicle requirement for:
   • work responsibility: an employer letter stating vehicle requirement to fulfill specific work duties and a copy of a current work schedule;
   • Please note: a narrow window of time for travel between work and school by itself is not sufficient to qualify for a subsidy. One must prove that access to a vehicle is a condition of employment and that there is a clear need for you to have access to a vehicle during scheduled class times.
   • family responsibility: photocopy of each family member’s proof of age;
   • medical needs: a doctor’s signed note;  
   • or other documentation verifying your responsibility and other requirements.


3. Ineligibility for U-Pass Program due to only available courses in program offered via Distance Education. Supporting documentation must demonstrate financial need (provide a copy of your student loan or income tax assessment for the previous year), and include a signed letter from your program advisor that clearly confirms that the only courses available to you to fulfill your program requirements during this term are offered by Distance Education.


4. Genuine inability to participate in the U-Pass program due to other extenuating circumstance not listed above.  Supporting documentation required should include a letter from an official source verifying your circumstance.