WWU student to present at national transit conference in Georgia

Western Washington University student Alexander (A.J.) Garcia, the Associated Students transportation coordinator, plans to give a presentation at the upcoming the American Public Transportation Association 2010 Conference on Transportation and University Communities in Athens, Ga.

Garcia was invited by APTA to take part in a panel session addressing current practices, relationships and future trends in university universal transit access programs. Other panelists include transportation professionals, transit agency officials and university administrators from throughout the United States.

Fellow WWU students Casey Branson and Christina Roy also will attend the conference, which takes place from April 10 to 14. Co-hosts of the event are Athens Transit and the University of Georgia Campus Transit System.

Attendance at the APTA Conference provides a valuable opportunity for student learning and networking; the conference is the only national forum for university-related transit systems and practices. WWU student participation demonstrates a high level of understanding and engagement by students regarding the student-funded transportation program.

Branson and Roy are members of the Associated Students Transportation Advisory Committee. Application to attend the conference was open to all WWU students, and successful applicants were chosen on the basis of past and proposed future involvement in the Student Transportation program.

The WWU Alternative Transportation Fee supports the following: a universal bus pass through a contract with the Whatcom Transportation Authority; late-night shuttle service for students; classified staff program support; and student employment. The Alternative Transportation Fee is governed by a committee of students and university staff and advised by the Associated Students Transportation Advisory Committee. ASTAC membership is open to all interested WWU students.

Garcia, in his third year at WWU, has been a member of the ASTAC since 2007 and has held the position of AS Alternative Transportation Coordinator since the summer of 2008. He will graduate this spring with a major in politics/philosophy/economics. Garcia plans to pursue a graduate degree in transportation planning. He is a graduate of Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane.