Art by Cara Tang
Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
George Pepperdine founded Pepperdine University in 1937. The University was first located in Los Angeles. A few decades later, the school moved to its current location, Malibu.
In 1968, three generous women donated the Malibu land to Pepperdine, and in 1972, the University received its first incoming students on the new campus, according to Pepperdine’s website.
The Malibu location offers stunning views, cute markets and a calming atmosphere that make the Pepperdine experience enjoyable for students. Nevertheless, these positives do not outweigh the negatives that impact students and their connection to the Pepperdine community daily, especially on the weekends.
These significant drawbacks can be explained by Pepperdine’s barriers to transportation, closeness to home, limited activities and lack of campus accessibility on the weekends.
Limited Weekend Activities and Campus Accessibility
Pepperdine hosts many activities throughout the week, such as Waves Market, The Well and Late Night Lineup.
Late Night Lineup provides free food and fun on-campus every weekend. Without this Friday and Saturday night event, weekend activities on Malibu campus are scarce.
Additionally, reduced hours for the Caf, the libraries and the Howard A. White Center (HAWC) — all major on-campus locations — limit Pepperdine’s accessibility for students on the weekend.
This lower level of weekend activity on campus prompts students to go off-campus if they want to do something.
While many college campuses close to a city can provide accessible activities for students, Malibu’s remote location makes it difficult for Pepperdine to provide the same.
Transportation Barriers
Though many students do possess a car on campus, others do not.
It can be easy to get an Uber or carpool with friends to get off-campus. Nonetheless, Ubers can add up unnecessary costs, and carpooling with friends can be difficult when schedules start to conflict.
For those who have a car, it takes time to drive to desirable locations that Malibu notably lacks. The closest Target is 15.8 miles away, closest Trader Joe’s is 12.4 miles away and closest Taco Bell is 12.9 miles away, according to Google Maps.
In addition, access in and from Malibu to other places is restricted by a lack of public transportation. Pepperdine has yet to gain a train line, and bus lines remain limited in Malibu.
This leaves cars as the best transportation method for students.
For the students who lack simple, accessible car transportation, it is easy to go days or weeks stuck on campus in Malibu, making Pepperdine students feel isolated and detached from the broader community.
Closeness to Home
Numerous on-campus activities occur during the week that can be academic or extracurricular, encouraging togetherness in the Pepperdine community.
Finding weekly leisure time with friends can be easy for students when they have similar schedules and activities. If class schedules conflict or there is loads of homework to be done, students rarely have time off throughout the week to see friends.
This makes the weekends a better time to plan activities since there are no classes, and homework can be less urgent.
California residents comprise 68% of Pepperdine’s student body and Los Angeles (LA) County comprises 58%, according to Pepperdine’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
With the majority of students living close to home, LA County residents are more prone to going home for many weekends throughout the semester.
When students go home for the weekend, Pepperdine becomes empty and the community is less connected. Increasing campus activity on the weekend can better balance students’ opportunities to spend time with friends and return home.
To combat the negative effects of Malibu’s location, Pepperdine must build up more on-campus weekend activities, like Late Night Lineup, to foster more leisure and community for all Pepperdine students.
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Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Alyssa Hunnicutt via email: alyssa.hunnicutt@pepperdine.edu