Jonathan Jenkins, Staff Writer
College life has always been characterized by dorms, sleeping in late, parties, and meeting new people. For students living on campus, these events are a normal part of the college experience. However, for those students who commute, the college experience is a little different.
Commuting is not an easy choice for your college experience. While it is a cheaper option than staying on campus, it is often a lonely road to travel down. One of the hardest things for commuters is making friends on campus. With the limited time commuters spend on campus, it can be hard to build relationships with other students.
Commuters have the library and other areas to relax during their down time, but unless you know someone who lives on campus you do not have your own personal area.
For many commuters, the most frustrating part of commuting is the parking. With the amount of commuting students increasing each year, parking spaces have become limited. Arte Elliott, a Junior, commented on the parking situation stating that Wingate needs to have more parking.
Many commuters have complained about these frustrations, and these voices have not been ignored. Wingate has focused on improving the on-campus life and parking for commuting students.
Diana Coyle, a director in the Student Resources Office discussed Wingate’s plans for the future. This year, the SGA has introduced several new plans to help connect the commuters with the on-campus life. With approval by the Student Government Association (SGA), a commuter committee has been created.
Ana Acosta, a commuting student, has been assigned as the new Commuter Assistant. She helps all commuters, but specifically focuses on new and transfer students. This gives commuters someone to meet with and talk to for assistance.
Student Resources have even introduced a program called Commuter Connections, also known as Recharge. This program provides meals for commuters during both Welcome and Finals Week.
There have been adjustments made to the parking also. These changes have provided more parking spaces for commuters. Commuter representatives have also worked on a place for commuters to relax. That vision has turned into the newly renovated Ames Turnout. These improvements have shown a change in the attitude and focus towards commuters.
The commuter life has never been as easy as living on campus. The changes that Wingate continues to make are a promising future for all commuters. The number of commuters that will take advantage of these opportunities have yet to be seen, but the environment that has been created is encouraging to get more students involved.
Edited by Kyndra Sanden and Danny Stueber
Wingate Triangle 