By David Herbold, April 13, 2021
The ASI Board of Directors discussed Cal Poly Pomona’s approval of the free transportation Class Pass service and a proposed transportation hub during its April 8 meeting. The Class Pass, a free bus pass for students, will be implemented in the fall semester while the mobility hub is still in the early stages of development.
The presenters were the co-chairs of the university’s Transportation Advisory Committee: John Lloyd, a CPP history professor, and Danny Wu, director of transportation and planning. They provided an overview of the Class Pass and mobility hub — both of which are possible through Foothill Transit.
“Most studies show that simply electrifying cars isn’t going to solve our climate crisis, so we need to look at alternative transportation as well. So, from a sustainability and basic needs, social justice aspect, I think this program is worthy of support in the long term,” said Lloyd.
The Class Pass, which has been available to students at other local colleges, will provide unlimited free rides on Foothill Transit vehicles to eligible students. CPP students can already receive a 50% discount on bus passes through Foothill Transit.
The proposed mobility hub on campus would serve as a center of access to buses, the campus shuttle, electric bikes, scooters and other transportation services. This would also be supported by Foothill Transit which is seeking a grant under President Joe Biden’s new infrastructure plan.
“The mobility hub is particularly important because it’s finally the opportunity for us to bring transit back onto campus,” said Wu. He added that a proposed share system for electric bikes and scooters could be part of the hub.
Lloyd highlighted the importance of creating an accessible campus that is sustainable and walkable to align with the ASI action plan for transportation in 2020-2021. He emphasized the benefits that the Class Pass and the mobility hub would provide when ultimately implemented together in the long term.
In other business, ASI Vice President Manshaan Singh and Executive Assistant Leah Tarin released the results of a student community feedback survey meant to guide administration and ASI efforts for the fall 2021 semester as to students’ preferred learning environments. There were 228 total respondents and the questions generally revolved through student opinions on returning to campus.
The survey revealed the following:
- 61% of students said they preferred in-person classes
- 72% of students said attending in-person events makes them feel more connected to their peers
- 85% of students said they support masks being required
- 51% of students said they prefer a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning
Singh said that ASI would push the results to the university administration to inform their decision-making process.
During the meeting’s open forum session, ASI Associate Executive Director Krista Smith shared a new basic needs initiative through the Poly Pantry and Centerpointe Dining which allows students who reserve a study space through the new university study space program to receive complimentary parking as well as a free meal at Centerpointe.
Smith said, “The complimentary hot meal is being funded in part through the allocation of funds from the ASI to the Poly Pantry for this term, to help insure food distribution to students.”
The board of directors is next scheduled to meet on April 15. The agenda, minutes and Zoom link for previous and upcoming board meetings can be found here.
Feature image courtesy of Duc Khoa Nguyen via Unsplash.
