LEWISTON – As more Americans cut back on driving to save on gas, two area commuter colleges are looking at changing schedules to help faculty and students drive less. Those colleges are the University of Southern Maine and Andover College.

A third, Central Maine Community College in Auburn, says it already has a flexible, short-week schedule, but may consider more online classes and promoting carpooling.

USM President Selma Botman said her three campuses will explore offering longer classes that meet once a week instead of twice, and more online classes. USM will not look at scheduling changes for the fall semester, but possibly the spring, she said.

“I’m worried about the high price of energy for students driving to campus, and our employees,” Botman said. “If you ask me what keeps me up at night, that does.” USM has campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston. Many students drive to class and don’t live in residence halls.

When the faculty arrives next week, “I want to engage them in this conversation,” Botman said. “We have to think about this. This is not just a one-year problem. The price of heating oil and gasoline is going to be high. We have an obligation to think about how to blunt the impact as much as possible.”

Andover College President Christopher Quinn said his college has begun planning scheduling changes.

Andover offers eight-week semesters that run all year. He noticed “a huge uptake in students taking online courses” with classes that began in July. Students are looking to find ways to drive less, he said.

Andover is exploring alternatives such as classes that meet once a week at the college and online the other day. The college is also exploring expanded classes that meet once a week for four or five hours.

And when there are raffles at the Lewiston and South Portland campuses, gas cards have become the much-desired prize. “It’s not just students,” Quinn said. “This is affecting everybody, faculty too.”

Central Maine Community College isn’t planning to change schedules, “because our scheduling system always accommodated people who don’t want to be here five days a week,” President Scott Knapp said.

CMCC offers classes Monday through Thursday, and classes that meet once a week on Fridays. It’s possible for full-time students to come to Auburn two days a week, Knapp said. More students who live in Franklin and Oxford counties, and Damariscotta will opt to take classes at those centers to avoid commuting, Knapp said.

As students look for ways to avoid driving to campus, the demand for residence halls at CMCC has jumped. Last August students could still find a dorm room. Not this year, Knapp said. The halls are full. In some cases more beds are being added with students doubling up, he said.

The college will consider more online classes and promoting carpooling later this year. Previous attempts at promoting student carpooling haven’t worked well, Knapp said. “But with gas prices near $4 a gallon, we’ll look at ways to bring students together.”