OWEN FUGIT / ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

As a first-year here at USD, there is one dilemma that never seems to vanish: the issue of transportation. If I want to go somewhere   off   campus,    my  option   are   severely   limited.  I  could   use  a  rideshare app  like  Uber,  but  that  gets  expensive  and  is  not  very  cost-effective  especially  if  I  need  to  go  somewhere  more than a couple miles away. 

Per USD guidelines, first-years cannot have a car on campus, save for a few special cases, so driving is also off the table.  USD  hosts  Zipcars  on  campus, which can  work  well  if  you  plan  in  advance,  but  if you need a Zipcar at a moment’s notice, or if plans suddenly change, the nearest Zipcars  can   be   far   from  campus.  The  best logical transit solution  for  USD  students  would  be  taking  public   transportation   lines   served  by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and the North County Transit District (NCTD). 

For students at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla, transit access is not an issue. UCSD undergraduates are automatically enrolled in the Triton U-Pass program through their tuition and fees. The U-Pass program gives students access to almost every MTS and NCTD transit service offered. Though UCSD undergraduates pay nearly half the cost of USD’s cost of attendance, their unlimited-ride bus  and  rail  pass  is  included in their tuition, and gives UCSD students    access    to     the    businesses,    recreational    areas    and community    hubs   of   San   Diego.

USD students are well positioned  to  utilize  public  transit. Our campus is close to  Downtown San Diego, and the Old Town Transit Center — a major transport hub — tapping Amtrak, MTS and NCTD transit lines. USD has no excuse to neglect considering student   transportation   needs    as a   top   priority.   While   USD   is   enrolled    in    college   pass   programs  with  MTS  which  knocks  off   about   20   dollars   from  the  typical monthly pass fare, USD Toreros are still left paying  more  for  transit than San Diego State University (SDSU) and UCSD students. This is absurd given how expensive USD already costs to attend. 

If USD wants to affirm its commitment to its undergraduate students and graduate students who commute to campus via public transit networks, it must first facilitate discussions around transportation issues. 

Dr. Leeva Chung, Department Chair and Professor of Communication at USD, grew up around robust public transportation networks,  and  is  vocal  in  her  support of public transit.

“I think they need to do focus groups on students,” Chung said. “Instead of saying, ‘Oh, let’s do this,’ they need to run focus groups on students…[Let’s ask students] ‘what do you think about this?’ Getting a group together with six other people, one first year, one senior, [asking] what do you want to see?”

It  is  unfair  of  USD  to  limit   first-year  students’  transit  options the way they do today? with no access to personal motor vehicles, high  rideshare  costs  and  low availability    of     Zipcars  during  peak  hours.  USD  must  offer  students  a  way  to experience  San  Diego   without   spending   more  than Toreros  already  do  especially  when  students  already  pay  so much to attend the University. USD must also teach students about their various transportation options.

“We don’t have clear signage,” Dr. Chung said. “Or clear information  about  the  use  of public transportation, unless you’re  in  an  LLC  where  they  go and   do   it   for   a  day  or  something… When  you  were doing  your   orientation,   did   you   get   any  public  transportation  information  from anybody? You did not. Did you  get any information about how  you  can  have  a  PRONTO  pass you could buy? No, you did not.”

Dr.  Chung  also  noted how USD’s fixation on improving parking services, while necessary, may be shortsighted. With an outsized focus on cars, students miss the fact that USD offers a tram service to the Old Town Transit Center. 

The Triton U-Pass came about by student referendum, with an overwhelming majority of UCSD students voting to willingly increase their cost of attendance, in order to gain access to San Diego’s growing transit networks. By  letting  student  voices  be  heard and subsequently addressed, UCSD gave students a space to solve problems unique to their group. 

As Dr. Chung states, USD is far from perfect when it comes to addressing student transit needs. However, by listening to students themselves, and allowing their many diverse and unique perspectives to be heard, USD can improve student life, expand access to San Diego, and fulfill the University’s promise to educate Toreros holistically. 

The San Diego Trolley stops at the Morena/Linda Vista station. Photo courtesy of Hailey Howell/The USD Vista