by Breanna Adamick

A common part of the college experience that everyone tends to mention is being a residential student—living on campus. It is expected, convenient and even completely necessary for some students, particularly those who attend a college in another state or have a scholarship that requires such a thing. The population of commuter students on a college campus is generally less than population of residents, but there are still typically a fair few commuter students around, especially among upperclassmen and local students.  

It is a vastly different experience to go to college as a commuter student; aspects of life and attending school that residential students would not necessarily consider are all important to commuter students. Things like the amount of time it takes to drive to and from campus, arranging classes so that there is less down-time in between and finding the best, calmest places on campus to relax at in-between activities.  

I have been a commuter student for all of my years attending Greensboro College thus far and I have seen both the pros and cons of the commuting experience. There have been plenty of times I wished I were a residential student, able to simply roll out of bed and go to class, or else have a nearby room to relax in during long periods of time without a class. There have also been many times where I have been profoundly grateful to remain a commuter student, like when I hear of the unfortunate climate control instances in the residential halls, or when it has been a long day and what I need most is a nice drive home to decompress and a space entirely my own to relax in.  

Each lifestyle has its positives and negatives, but from my experience and point of view, there are a few more obstacles naturally in your way as a commuter student, especially if you are new to the school. I also believe that some of these obstacles could be fixed, or at least improved, with a little attention. The first one that comes to mind involves campus engagement. I have heard quite a few fellow commuter students, in various instances, wishing that some fun campus event was held at a more convenient hour, taking into account those students who have commutes. Or else, perhaps the bigger grievance, that the campus events were advertised a little more heavily a substantial amount of time beforehand—through emails, social media and whatever else.  

I know I am not the only commuter student who has gone home after my last class only to then see an email or post about a fun campus event starting in a few minutes. I live around a half hour from school, so by that time, the extra time driving, and additional gas money spent is not worth the journey back. To be entirely fair, most of the time every student has the opportunity to find out about upcoming events by viewing The Rafiki newsletter that appears in our inboxes every Monday morning. It is partially up to us to make sure we know what is going on, and yet an additional heads up a good several hours before each event would be beneficial, especially to the commuters.  

Another more difficult aspect that I have lamented quite a few times is the lack of a more private space to relax in between classes. I have made do over the years, and found more secluded areas in the library, in class buildings or even outside on campus. This kind of challenge can be expected by many commuter students going in, but it can still wear on you over time. 

In an ideal situation, there could be a dedicated space reserved for commuters in one of the class buildings, where we could rest comfortably in between classes, put our backpacks—and sometimes multiple other bags—when we do not need them for something or just have a space that is a bit more our own. I think an addition like that could help make more commuter students feel welcome.  

Thinking of a space like that reminds me of the “Commuter Club” this school used to have. In all my hours spent in the library, I have come across some of the best sources of Greensboro College history still present to be perused: the yearbooks. In several of these yearbooks, around the 1980s and 1990s, one of the campus clubs listed and photographed was a club for commuter students. In that club, they planned activities and fun events together, collaborated with GC administration to improve daily life for the commuters and worked to help commuters feel more comfortable and like a part of the college community.  

Many organizations have come and gone here at GC over the many years of its existence, and this is one club that I do not believe should have gone. So much emphasis is put on making students feel at home at Greensboro College, particularly in the beginning of each semester and for the new students. That emphasis tends to primarily cover residential students, however. Even though commuter students do not live on campus by definition, we often spend a great deal of our days, weeks and months on campus for classes, organizations, athletics and other extracurricular activities.  

I believe one of the hardest parts of being a commuter college student is those first two years as a freshman and sophomore, still just learning how college works and attempting to meet people at your new school. If a little more effort and attention was extended towards the commuter community, I believe it could very positively affect all those students who do not wish, or are unable, to live on campus. Every student enrolled at Greensboro College should have the opportunity to feel welcome and achieve some sense of belonging while they are here. At the very least, they should have the benefit of feeling heard and seen, and witnessing an attempt being made to better include them and improve their college experience.