Editorial: UCLA needs to provide transportation options at Geffen Academy

The recent announcement that UCLA will use a $100 million donation from businessman David Geffen to pay for the development of a new secondary education school on campus has been met with both acclaim and derision.

The gift has been slammed in the press as an example of “philanthropy at its worst,” a case of funneling money into an already wealthy institution.

However, if UCLA is effectively able to employ the money, then the school can successfully fulfill the dual roles of making the university more attractive to faculty as well as serving the Los Angeles community.

The school will educate students from the sixth to 12th grade and be funded through Geffen’s philanthropy as well as tuition paid by the students. The plan – according to UCLA at least – is to have half of the students come from middle and low-income residents residing throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

UCLA officials have stressed plans to make the school accessible for those from limited financial backgrounds, indicating that they expect nearly 40 percent of the students attending to be assisted with financial aid.

READ MORE: UCLA to open Westwood secondary school with donation from David Geffen

The initiative is admirable. But if UCLA truly wants to make good on its promise to provide equal opportunity to those from all socioeconomic backgrounds, it must prioritize one often overlooked area of need: transportation.

With a median household income around $70,000 – solidly middle income – Westwood itself seems likely to have more than a few potential school applicants. But in contrast to Westwood, the neighborhoods directly surrounding the school – and thus representing those with the easiest transportation burdens – do not. Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Brentwood have some of the highest median incomes in the city. Bel Air specifically has a median income that surpasses $200,000.

So if the school is to commit to the idea of 50 percent of students coming from lower income areas around Los Angeles, it’s obvious that they probably won’t be coming locally.

As anyone who has travelled anywhere around Los Angeles at anytime would tell you, commuting can be a headache. But especially for those with limited means, transportation to work or school can be a costly nightmare.

According to a 2003 Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program at Stanford University, those earning between $20,000 and $50,000 spent nearly 32 percent of their household income on transportation.

Additionally, a study by San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute found that low-income families spend more time than others planning their transportation costs. In most cases for those families, the cost of commuting creates a large burden on the rest of their finances.

The plans for this new school are in their infancy, and the university has said that they will explore every option for ensuring access, including transportation.

That’s a good start, but it’s important to recognize just how important transportation is. Without understanding the full weight of those costs of actually getting students to class, the school’s goals will undoubtedly stop short.