By Jamil Oakford/se news editor
The beauty of TCC isn’t just the many campuses spanning Tarrant County, but the fact that campuses can offer specialized degree programs.
Some specialized degree programs can only be found on specific campuses.
The bump in the otherwise smooth road is how hard it is to get to most of the campuses.
Public transportation makes it easy to get to both TR and South campuses as they have bus stops located right in front of them, but NW, NE and SE campuses are in cities that don’t offer public transportation or the bus routes don’t extend to them.
This may be a minor problem to some, but it could mean that a student is stuck with choosing classes on campuses that they can get to and maybe even rethinking their degree plans.
If a student wants to go into the radio/television/film program, they have to go to NE, located in Hurst, which currently doesn’t have any public transit.
The TRE has a stop in nearby Richland Hills, but no way to get to the campus from there.
Transportation is slowly growing in Arlington with the installation of Metro ArlingtonXpress, which runs from downtown to the airport. The city hasn’t made much progress in convincing residents to build a mass transit system.
This makes it hard for culinary arts hopefuls to get to SE without a car.
Every city reserves the right to refuse mass transit, but it would help students stuck in Fort Worth or in other cities around the county if they had the option of being bused to one campus or another.
From an economic standpoint, it could be beneficial for students who have long commutes from Hurst to Arlington or from southeast Fort Worth to northwest Fort Worth.
The money they would save on gas would be helpful for students too.
Either way, public transportation could be a good way to keep all five campuses connected more than they already are and to help students who can’t afford the gas or simply can’t find a way to get to Hurst or Arlington.
