Variation of
People and Atmosphere of the UCI Bus
I boarded on the UCI campus bus that drove all
around campus and its surrounding area for students. The total bus ride was
about 45 minutes because it stopped at many different locations for all the
students. There were plenty of students on board because it was during the weekday.
While on board the school bus, my goal was to observe the different students who
boarded the bus, their actions, and obtain more demographic information of the
UCI student body.
Even prior to entering the bus I knew that Irvine is largely composed of a mainly of Asians. It seems that the differences were largely social differences in the area because once again all I saw was a large group of Asians (Ethnicity) and wealthy people (class) as we discussed in class. As we drove around this area I could not help but compare this to the Ghettos and determine that they were the opposite of Ghettos both in the definition of WWII and its US term. WWII term of ghetto is described as poor Jewish parts of cities but, in Irvine this was a group of another ethnicity and they had money not like the Ghettos of WWII. Also the US term is to describe a poor area of cities which once again is not true. So during my bus ride this is a topic relative to course that came to mine. As stated on simplymaps the population of Asian-American ethnicity in the area is 2.82% - 90.00% in most parts of the city.
I boarded on the UCI campus bus that drove all
around campus and its surrounding area for students. The total bus ride was
about 45 minutes because it stopped at many different locations for all the
students. There were plenty of students on board because it was during the weekday.
While on board the school bus, my goal was to observe the different students who
boarded the bus, their actions, and obtain more demographic information of the
UCI student body.Even prior to entering the bus I knew that Irvine is largely composed of a mainly of Asians. It seems that the differences were largely social differences in the area because once again all I saw was a large group of Asians (Ethnicity) and wealthy people (class) as we discussed in class. As we drove around this area I could not help but compare this to the Ghettos and determine that they were the opposite of Ghettos both in the definition of WWII and its US term. WWII term of ghetto is described as poor Jewish parts of cities but, in Irvine this was a group of another ethnicity and they had money not like the Ghettos of WWII. Also the US term is to describe a poor area of cities which once again is not true. So during my bus ride this is a topic relative to course that came to mine. As stated on simplymaps the population of Asian-American ethnicity in the area is 2.82% - 90.00% in most parts of the city.
However, as I rode the bus I noticed how public transportation for the area was
very important since many who live in this area are current students. The Asian-American population at University of California-Irvine, is roughly 48% of
the student body. This would support why many of the students on the bus were
Asian. 
Also even though the University is in the middle of the community
it wasn't necessarily a declared center location to be. It
demonstrated "decentralized" because many students who were boarding the bus
were using it to go outward into Irvine or other cities in the area (e.g.
Irvine Spectrum and other shopping locations). Also once again because I was in
the city of Irvine, especially being near the University I noticed the effect auto
mobility had in establishing the city because there were many commuter students
and cars in general on the road. Also I'm quote Hannah “An article on the Atlantic Cities,
“Race, Class and The Stigma of Riding the Bus in America” claims that 92% of
bus riders in Los Angeles are “people of color” with an annual median household
income of $12,000.” I could semi-agree with this because I could imagine most
of the students on the bus probably do not have an income of more than $12,000
therefore the students fit the stigma of student buses. Also in the same
article that Hannah used I found many relevant topics for myself on this topic
with students. “Rising gas prices and unemployment rates have naturally
squeezed some more privileged commuters like Carr onto public transit: In 2008,
nationwide public transportation ridership hit its highest levels since 1957.”
This is true because I did ask a few students on board why they rode the school
bus and many said they had cars prior to attending UCI but with gas prices
rising, basic cost to have a car, and an additional parking fee to have your
vehicle on campus played a major role in why students decided to depend on
public transportation.
Also even though the University is in the middle of the community
it wasn't necessarily a declared center location to be. It
demonstrated "decentralized" because many students who were boarding the bus
were using it to go outward into Irvine or other cities in the area (e.g.
Irvine Spectrum and other shopping locations). Also once again because I was in
the city of Irvine, especially being near the University I noticed the effect auto
mobility had in establishing the city because there were many commuter students
and cars in general on the road. Also I'm quote Hannah “An article on the Atlantic Cities,
“Race, Class and The Stigma of Riding the Bus in America” claims that 92% of
bus riders in Los Angeles are “people of color” with an annual median household
income of $12,000.” I could semi-agree with this because I could imagine most
of the students on the bus probably do not have an income of more than $12,000
therefore the students fit the stigma of student buses. Also in the same
article that Hannah used I found many relevant topics for myself on this topic
with students. “Rising gas prices and unemployment rates have naturally
squeezed some more privileged commuters like Carr onto public transit: In 2008,
nationwide public transportation ridership hit its highest levels since 1957.”
This is true because I did ask a few students on board why they rode the school
bus and many said they had cars prior to attending UCI but with gas prices
rising, basic cost to have a car, and an additional parking fee to have your
vehicle on campus played a major role in why students decided to depend on
public transportation.
Article
on Buses
Also being on the bus demonstrated to me that since many of the individuals who
live in the area are students and that they are not wealthy
Because of this I think Irvine did a great job on helping the students.
Typically the bus is ridden by the working and lower class. I make this
assumption because it is cheaper to take the bus everywhere then own and drive
a car especially with how the student loans are on the rise, so this is another
form of transportation around the university to assist in attending courses and
to obtain the necessities without the students needing their own car.
Also being on the bus demonstrated to me that since many of the individuals who
live in the area are students and that they are not wealthy
Because of this I think Irvine did a great job on helping the students.
Typically the bus is ridden by the working and lower class. I make this
assumption because it is cheaper to take the bus everywhere then own and drive
a car especially with how the student loans are on the rise, so this is another
form of transportation around the university to assist in attending courses and
to obtain the necessities without the students needing their own car. 
I had to split it up into 2 comments because it exceeded the character limit
ReplyDelete1/2
It is interesting that you chose to take the UCI campus bus for your assignment. I have taken the UCLA campus bus a few times, and each time I am embarrassed to admit that it has never taken me where I thought it was heading. There are a few different buses and they are there for the students’ convenience. I used to live in the apartments on the Gayley side of campus last year and there are no campus buses servicing the area. Now you might say that Gayley is relatively close and UCLA is more compact than UCI. However, a campus bus does run to the university apartments. Now it may just be that I do not know how the buses run and was unable to find a convenient one, but I really doubt that. I think if you compare the demographics of Westwood and UCLA to the UCI area, it would bring up some interesting figures. Even comparing the architecture of the streets and buildings surrounding each campus, one can get an impression of the larger city. UCI is in the suburbs surrounded by relatively new or remodeled buildings. It’s safe to assume that the streets surrounding the campus are also very well paved and new. On the other hand we have the streets of UCLA where I feel like I’m going off-roading just driving through them. They are completely torn up and covered in potholes and uneven pavement. The UCLA area is much older and denser.
This made me think of Kerr’s article on redlining. Certain parts of cities and counties including Orange County do take part in subtle forms of redlining. The Westwood area is populated mostly by people who rent their homes and apartments. Students come in and out without making it their permanent address. The residents that own their homes make the decisions that affect these thousands of renters. For instance, we all have our grief pertaining to parking. Not only is street parking impossible to find, almost all streets have time limits as to how long one can park there or they enforce permits to restrict non-residents from parking there. This was the situation on my street and since I lived there for only a year, I did not feel like it was worth the hassle to go through the process to obtain a permit. Judging by the very few number of cars that had a permit, I’m guessing others felt the same or the restrictions were so strict that one had to live on a particular side of the street to obtain a permit or prove ownership of their residence. These restrictions allow for the permanent residents to maintain the style and quality of life that they desire. This related to the most recent opposition to a subway tunnel that would go under Beverly Hills High School: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/beverly-hills-district-sues-to-block-subway-tunneling-under-school.html
Los Angeles has terrible public transportation and even with the extension, the new line will not be convenient for UCLA. Unlike other cities and countries where there are several methods of public transportation servicing popular destinations, Los Angeles public transportation relies mainly on buses. This might be because we have no center where the public transportation system could focus. However, I am very jealous of USC’s new metrolink stop right in their school.
2/2
ReplyDeleteOverall, I really enjoyed reading about your observations. It is very interesting how the presence of a university can skew demographic studies of the larger region. While Irvine does have a large Asian population, I wonder if that is the direct reason for the demographics of students at UCI since that is not the case at UCLA. The fact that southern California has such a large Hispanic population and this is not represented in our universities is related to William Julius Wilson’s “The Truly Disadvantaged” when he discusses how liberals fail by trying to attribute class inequalities to contemporary racism. The UC system does not implement affirmative action. Regardless of the different stances on this issues, it is irrefutable that certain minorities simply do not have access to the same resources- both in formal government institutions such as schools and hospitals but in informal settings as well. Kids that grow up in impoverished communities do not plan on attending college much less to apply to prestigious universities. They do not have access to educated family members and friends. This severe flaw in our system where such a big portion of the population is not reaching college is a preview into the world of the next century. Inequalities are not inherent; they are created through the imbalance of education, resources, opportunities, and failing to see that is one of the key tools needed to facilitate that difference.