QU Media conducted a survey to gain insight into issues commuter students face. Lack of engagement, places to gather, and proper meal plans has caused some commuters to feel disconnected from campus and/or their peers.

“Yes, I feel like this is a problem not discussed deep enough at QU. I found it difficult at times to get involved since I did not live on campus. I didn’t make lasting friendships with people until my senior year, even after many different attempts,” Molly Ringenberg said.

The survey revealed that total commute times, to and from campus, have a wide range. From as low as three minutes to as high as 90 minutes.

The main issue commuters struggle with is parking on campus. Which causes an “inconvenient” walk to their already lengthy commute.

Lack of engagement is another issue commuters face. Respondents stated they were not receiving information from the university about all events on campus. Because of this, they miss out on events and need to rely on peers, if they had contact with others.

“I also felt upset when there would be events for ‘just residents’ and I was not invited. It made me feel left out and I feel like I didn’t get the full ‘college experience’ I was looking for,” one respondent said.

Besides events, some commuters struggle with clubs and organizations. Late meeting times are a struggle for commuters as they are already back home.

Additionally, some respondents said that there is a lack of interest in the current clubs. One respondent said that there were never follow-ups to their attempts to join clubs.

A couple of respondents said more places for commuters to relax, study, and meet other commuters would be helpful. A commuter lounge can be found on floor two of Francis Hall, but there is no other commuter lounge across all of campus.

Another issue commuters face is a proper meal plan. Quincy University does offer a commuter meal plan, but it is not meeting commuter’s needs. Some commuters are also unaware of its existence.

“Commuters should have more options for a meal plan that is reasonable and fitting,” a respondent said.

The current base commuter meal plan “averages 2-3 meals per week for the semester” and can be upgraded for an additional price. But if a commuter spends four days in a week on campus the base plan will not be adequate.

Some respondents also said they arrive at campus in the morning for work. Without a meal plan, some commuters must take out more time in their schedule to make a meal.

A proper meal plan will give commuters the opportunity to not only have a meal but also engage with their peers in The Cafe.

43% of respondents said that these issues prevent them from being active on campus and with their peers. Engaging in clubs, sports, band, and choir are said to be beneficial to a student’s involvement with campus.

But these are not plausible for all commuters. Some commuters are not interested in the current clubs, do not play a sport, or an instrument. With the addition of a lack of communication, exclusion from events, and inadequate meal plans, some commuters feel disconnected from campus and their peers.

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The twenty-three respondents were also asked to brainstorm potential solutions to these issues. Here are solutions directly from commuters:

Parking:

• Expand parking lots or build new lots.
  • Limit incoming class sizes so current students do not have to bear the burden. *

Engagement:

• More communication to commuters about events.
• Open resident only events to all students.
• Introduce more clubs that students want to engage in.
  • Have clubs meet at reasonable times that work with commuters’ schedules. For example, no night meetings.

Meal plans:

• Rework the current meal plans with input from commuters.
• Actively promote the commuter meal plan throughout the semester.

Other:

• More places for commuters to spend their down time.

* Solution from the author.