Commuter life tends to be invisible to students who live on campus. Most colleges in the area don’t have a special program or place for their students.
One of the reasons that I chose Gannon University was because I could commute. I live within a reasonable driving distance from campus and have the luxury of having a place to live, free from rent.
The Commuter Corner on the second floor of the Palumbo Academic Center is easily most of commuters’ favorite place on campus. There are comfy couches to relax on; I can’t tell you how many times I have taken naps on those.
Occasionally there are free lunches and snacks during the afternoons. Plus, the staff keeps you updated on what is going on around campus.
It is because of them that I became involved on campus and got the most out of my first year at Gannon. Without the Commuter Corner, I don’t think I would have made as many friends as I did.
My brother Alex is a freshman at a different local school. He feels the same way that I did freshman year and I’m sure many other students do too: left out. He feels that residents “have more fun.”
Residents have an easier time trying to fit in. They are with all the other students all day and all night while commuters come and go for classes. This causes the struggle for us.
As we are only on campus for a limited time during the day, it can sometimes be really hard to come back to campus. If there is a movie being shown or some kind of event, there is nothing to do between classes and the activity. This is why we tend to go home and then not want to come back to campus again.
Driving back and forth from campus is a very tedious task. We tend to make all our classes right in a row so that we can come and go without having to drive back and forth from home. Many residents don’t know many commuters outside of class.
This is also why most commuters don’t get involved on campus. With most meetings being in the evenings, it would cause us to drive back and forth again. To become involved on campus takes a lot more for a commuter than it does for a resident. All of this makes it really hard to find your place.
I now see my brother going through the same problems I did and the same ones I’m sure many other commuters have. It’s just something that all commuters have to deal with and overcome.
KAT SHINDLEDECKER
