Cabrini resident students know the convenience of rolling out of bed 10 minutes before class and still being able to make it on time.
Commuter students, however, do not have that same luxury.
Morning commutes, fighting traffic and searching all over the Founders parking lot for a spot are only some of the daily obstacles Cabrini commuter students face.
There is a very large presence of commuters on Cabrini’s campus. Almost 40% of the undergraduate student body is made up of commuter students.
On any given day of the week, the Founders parking lot is packed with commuter students cars.
Brian Rohanna, sophomore marketing major, finds parking one of the most difficult aspects of commuting to Cabrini.
“The one thing I wish Cabrini would do for commuter students is make a parking lot specifically for us,” Rohanna said. “It is very difficult to find parking in the mornings especially when there are faculty members and other students.”
Rohanna works at the front desk at the Dixon Center and finds that managing a work schedule, class schedule and a morning commute to be easier said than done.
“I try to schedule a lot of my classes in the morning and have a gap between them so I can get work done,” Rohanna said. “Getting work done during the day helps because then I have less to do when I get home at night.”
Commuting can be even more challenging for athletes here at Cabrini.
Katie Lasater is a senior marketing major and a member of the women’s lacrosse team.
Lasater finds that planning her day around practices and games can be helpful. This is important especially for night practices, when she knows she will not be home until later.
“Just like being a resident student, being a commuter is really what you make of it,” Lasater said. “Depending on the type of person you are, commuting can be easy or difficult.”
For Lasater, commuting has been easy throughout her four years here at Cabrini.
“Commuting to Cabrini has been easier on me financially, as well as with my schedule,” Lasater said. “I try to take a lot of morning classes on similar days so I can cut down on my time here at school.”
Some Cabrini commuter students have taken it upon themselves to create several social media pages specifically for commuter students.
These pages are designed as a place for commuter students to voice their opinions and speak their minds.
The Cabrini College Commuters Twitter page is a place where commuter students can find traffic updates, event information and advice.
Dan Luner, senior communications major, is a very active and involved commuter student.
On Thursday Nov. 5, Luner and Cabrini Commuters hosted a Commuter Live TweetChat.
The purpose of the TweetChat was to get a positive discussion going about a common topic, registering for classes.
“The TweetChat was ultimately to benefit the underclassmen portion of the student body and answer any questions they might have about registration,” Luner said. “The TweetChat definitely gave us some good feedback and insight in a lot of areas and I think it is safe to say we are considering hosting another.”
Luner feels very positive about his experiences with commuting and he encourages other commuters to get involved around campus.
“Although there are a lot of residents on Cabrini’s campus, commuters make up just as much,” Luner said. “I think it’s definitely safe to say that I’ve made myself known despite being a commuter and any commuter can do that if they put in the effort.”
