September 15, 2009
Commuter Commons a new place for commuter students
More than 25,000 undergraduates call the 91探花 their academic home. At the end of the day, approximately 7,200 go home to 91探花housing or fraternities, or sororities鈥攐n campus. That means 70% of the undergraduate population commutes to and from campus. Some students commute from nearby neighborhoods like Wallingford, Fremont, or Capitol Hill. Others come from greater distances such as Everett, Renton, Issaquah, or even as far away as Gig Harbor or Port Angeles.
Living on campus is one way many students find a community at the University, so how do commuter students find their place and their campus community? Coinciding with the start of fall quarter, commuter students will have a new opportunity to connect with their voyaging peers at the Commuter Commons.
Located in the re-imagined space of HUB 106, the Commuter Commons is a sort of 鈥淐heers鈥� space for commuter students. 鈥淚t should be a place where everybody knows your name,鈥� says Namura Nkeze, transfer and commuter student programs coordinator in First Year Programs. 鈥淲e want it to be an active, comfortable space for commuter students to come, connect with one another, mingle, study, hang out and be a part of a community.鈥�
A collaboration between Student Life and Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the Commuter Commons will facilitate programming that supports students鈥� academic and social endeavors and empower students to be active participants in their education.
Students will staff the Commuter Commons and be responsible for creating and implementing academic and social programs geared specifically for commuter students.
While this iteration of the Commuter Commons will last just this academic year, the last year of the current HUB, a new, permanent space will be designated in the new HUB.
For more information about the Commuter Commons, contact Namura Nkeze.