Millikin is thinking of new ways to make a connection with students who commute, and the Office of Campus Life is open to ideas to help commuters feel at home on campus.
As a way for Millikin to connect with commuters, they hosted Commuter Appreciation and Recognition (CAR) week from March 30th to April 2nd.
This event was open to all students, but the priority was commuter students.
There were different events planned each day of the week. These events consisted of Riding in Style, where students were provided tote bags to decorate; Fuel for the Road, where goodie bags were handed out; Breakfast on the Go, where they provided a bagel bar for students to snack on; and Rush Hour Refresher, an event where the Wellness Peer Advocates handed out free drinks in the UC.
On Friday, there was a raffle drawing where three lucky students won a five-day University Commons parking pass. Each event attended served as an entry for the raffle.
The Office of Campus Life is working on other ways to encourage commuting students to engage with campus.
“Commuter Appreciation Week is focused on servicing commuter students on campus and helping them meet other students,” Maggie Schrage, a Millikin student and Campus Life intern, said.
CAR week was a useful tool to include commuters on campus. It helped introduce students to campus and made them feel like a part of the community.
“I was definitely concerned that I was going to struggle to make friends, but I didn’t,” Elisabeth Patton, a freshman commuter student, said. “I cheer here at Millikin, so that definitely helps me find those connections. And the cheerleading team also has a lot of commuters, so we all kind of related through that.”
For commuter students, finding a community is more of a struggle.
“Coming to Millikin was definitely a challenge as a commuter to find my own community,” Jessia Seitz, a transfer student, said.
While Jessica struggled to make connections at first, she did find organizations to help with those connections.
First Step Records, a student-run record company, helped Jessica find a social group. Jessica is also a part of Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI), which is a music fraternity for women and non-binary students.
Student organizations and clubs are a great way to make friends on campus. Events like CAR week are also a great way to get yourself out there and meet new people.
Jessica also suggested that the campus should have an area with a fridge and a microwave so that commuters can bring their lunch in case of dietary restrictions.
This was Jessica’s first event attended that was specifically geared towards commuters. This event was a great way to bring commuters together with other students.
“Campus life did a really good job advertising [the event] this time, and it would really be cool to see these a couple of times a semester,” Seitz said.
Millikin has been doing a great job, including events for commuters to get them more involved on campus.
CAR week happens every year at Millikin, so if you are a commuter looking for some appreciation, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for commuter-focused events.
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