COD Touts Success in Serving Students

From Transportation to Textbooks, COD Touts Success

PALM DESERT — As College of the Desert touts success, it’s doing so with receipts in both the areas of transportation and       reducing the financial burden on students.

First, COD and SunLine Transit Agency announced their partnership through the Haul Pass Program, which provides College of the Desert students with free bus rides across the Coachella Valley. Originally launched in 2018, College of the Desert was the first educational institution to sign on as a partner, enabling thousands of students to commute easily and affordably.

Since the program’s inception, students have taken an average of 6,300 trips per month using SunLine’s transit services. The Haul Pass Program removes transportation barriers for students, helping them access educational opportunities and essential services throughout the region.

“At College of the Desert, we are committed to providing our students with the resources they need to succeed, and the Haul Pass Program is a critical part of that mission,” Laura Hope, Interim Superintendent/President of College of the Desert, said in a statement. “This partnership with SunLine Transit Agency ensures that our students have reliable transportation, allowing them to focus on their education without the worry of additional expenses.”

SunLine Transit Agency’s CEO/General Manager, Mona Babauta, also emphasized the importance of this collaboration. “We are thrilled to continue supporting College of the Desert students by providing free rides through the Haul Pass Program. Reliable public transit plays a key role in student success, and we look forward to helping even more students achieve their educational goals,” said Babauta.

College of the Desert students also benefit from the Roadrunner Express, a shuttle service that provides free transportation between the College’s campuses. The Roadrunner Express serves as a complementary service to Haul Pass, offering students even more flexibility in their transportation options and ensuring they can easily commute to and from classes.

The Haul Pass Program is available to all registered College of the Desert students, who can now easily access their Haul Pass through the Token.

Transit mobile app on their smartphones. By simply downloading the app and verifying their student status, students can instantly use their virtual pass to travel on any local SunLine bus route.

For more information about the Haul Pass Program, visit www.collegeofthedesert.edu or www.sunline.org.

COD Also Touts Success of $5 Textbook Program, Saving Students More Than $65,000 in First Year

The costs of textbooks, transportation and housing often create significant barriers to higher education for underserved members of the community. Through generous donations made to the College of the Desert Foundation by COD Friends of the Library, the Lisa Wendel Memorial Foundation, H.N. and Frances C Berger Foundation, Fogelson Foundation, College of the Desert has been able to begin to alleviate the burden of the cost of textbooks through the $5 Textbook Rental program. In its first semester, the program was able to save students $65,798 in textbook fees.

Through this program, students can rent select textbooks for $5 for the semester. For some academic programs, required course material can cost several hundreds of dollars. Such fees demand many students choose between their basic needs or their class books.

“When I conducted my listening tour in 2023, the peripheral costs of college became a reoccurring theme,” Hope said in a statement. “It became clear that one of the things the community wanted to see more of was help for basic needs. The $5 Textbook program became a very tangible way for us to meet one of those needs.”

College of the Desert has made great strides in making higher education more accessible to more people through a variety of programs. Roadrunner Express, for example, provides students with free transportation between COD’s campuses. This transportation service was introduced around the same time as $5 Textbooks. Haul Pass, a partnership with Sunline Transit Agency, provides students with free, unlimited transportation along their routes. The plEDGE program gives local high school graduates two years of free college and connects them with wrap-around services through EDGE.

“No students should ever have to make the heartbreaking choice between their education and essential needs like food or utilities,” said COD Foundation Chair Diane Rubin. “$5 textbook rentals are one more way we can ease students’ financial burdens and make their education and careers more achievable. It’s not the end of the battle, but it’s a good step forward.”

In addition to $5 textbook rentals, COD faculty are committed to considering their students when making decisions regarding their required course material. When possible, they choose more affordable options for their textbooks.

To learn more about the $5 Textbook program, please visit https://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/students/textbook-rental.php