University of Southern California - El Rodeo Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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This year, the main goal of the corn- muter organization has been the estab- lishment of a commuter affairs office similar to the Residential Life Office. Such an office, said Joe Flanagan, co- founder and former chairman of the or- ganization, in an editorial in the Park- ing-Lot Paper last fall, would include a director, an assistant director, at least five student assistants comparable to resident advisors in the dorms, and an adequate secretarial staff. We believe some of the functions of such an office should include helping commuter students to develop and maintain a high level of programs for commuters, administer an overnight housing program for commuters who want to spend one night at the univer- sity, work to make other university departments more aware of commuter problems in such areas as scheduling of classes and the design of buildings, to publish informational materials de- signed to reach the commuter popu- lation that so often has no access to information about the campus events, develop and administer an ongoing orientation program for commuters that would try to orient new commuters to the university over a period of a few months rather than a few days, and work towards meeting commuters' transportation needs such as through a bus service to outlying areas, an im- provement of the already existing com- puterized carpool, improvement of parking facilities and so forth, wrote Flanagan. The commuters went to the Division of Student Affairs, where they were told that the budget would not cover a com- muter affairs office. Iames R, Appleton, vice-president for student affairs, said that the whole Student Affairs Division was being studied for a possible re-

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the t mimiutcfvt Compared to other residential groups, commuters are more frequently em- ployed, are more pragmatic in their educational goals, are less involved in campus-organized activities, spend less time with other USC students, and are more likely to have a peer group com- posed of non- USC students. They have also reported feeling iso- lated, not a part of the USC community and have difficulty meeting people. Commuters tend to have a grade point average at least equal to residents, if not better. As of 1972, 46'Z1 of undergraduates commuted, whereas 29'Z1 lived on campus-including dorms, Webb Tower and Married Student Housing-14'Zi lived on the Row and 11'Z1 lived within walking distance of the campus. The percentage of graduate students who commute is even greater-the Office of Institutional Studies estimated that 75421 of the grads commute. Yet commuters, said Addie Klotz, associate vice-president for campus life, have been treated as second-class citizens at USC. Commuters tend to participate in fewer campus activities and join fewer organizations. On the academic side, however, com- muters enjoy contact with their pro- fessors more than residents, and in fact meet with faculty more. They are also more satisfied with li- brary facilities and the academic pro- gram than any other living group. But commuters report more difficulty in meeting the financial costs of attend- ing USC. From Northridge, Long Beach, Pasa- dena, Buena Park, Huntington Beach, Glendale, Maywood, Gardena, Santa Monica-why do students commute? Many cite the financial burdens of living on or near campus. Others enjoy family life, and some don't want to live in the USC neighborhood. Commuters who moved to campus say they were interested in involving themselves in campus activities or were tired of fighting early morning traffic for that 8 a.m. class. Commuters have problems that other living groups don't-parking, meeting people, scheduling classes, study and eating facilities on campus, communi- cation-but only recently has the uni- versity begun to make special efforts to improve campus life for commuters. The Office of Institutional Studies found that about one-fourth of all undergraduate students are employed commuters. This latter group of working and commuting students, especially those who are employed more than 10 hours per week, have the greatest feeling of lack of identification with and involve- ment in the USC community. lt is obvious that students who are employed and commute have little time to devote to the non-academic aspects of campus life, not to mention having extra time to pursue certain interests associated with their studies. Moreover, since the majority of these students do not have reference or peer groups primarily composed of USC students, informal learning and peer support may be difficult to achieve, said the report. The report suggested that the univer- sity find ways to provide financial assistance or bring work and study closer together by such means as on- campus employment, employment in areas related to a student's academic interest, more involvement in com- munity service programs and the award- ing of academic credit for relevant and supervised work experiences. The report concluded that there is a need for better facilities for commuters and for more activities aimed at re- ducing a commuters feelings of iso- lation and increasing the impact of his experience. The USC Commuter Students, an organization with a membership of over 1,000, was begun in late 1972. and has been the lobbying force behind much of the improvement in commuter life. The organization also implemented computerized carpools, planned activi- ties at times convenient to commuters, published a newspaper and organized intramural teams in a commuter league. lt has also held orientation sessions specifically for commuters. Commuters have become involved in student government. At a time when the influence of the Row was dwindling, the commuters were able to get repre- sentation on the President's Advisory Council that was approximately pro- portional to their numbers. All three students representatives on the Executive Committee of the council this year were commuters. But these steps were only the beginning of solving the much bigger problem of alienation.

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organization, and that a proposal for another office under the division would also have to be studied. But Appleton did commit one staff member this year to working on com- muter concerns and promised additional staff for next year. One possible solution, he said, would be to expand the Residential Life Office to include staffing in all residential areas-commuters, residence halls, the Row and apartment dwellers. ,If such a plan were implemented, Appleton said the commuter staff would work on such concerns as improved listings of off-campus housing, car pools and scheduling of events and classes. The students also took their proposal to President John R. Hubbard and Zoh- rab A. Kaprielian, vice-president for academic administration and research. where they received strong support for the future. While a Commuter Affairs Office such as the model proposed by Flan- agan may not be immediately feasible, the university has taken a major step in improving commuter life. But the commuters are working on smaller projects, such as eliminating the large, 8 a.m. class required for biology majors and having it rescheduled at 9 or 10 a.m. The group is looking into better lounges and study areas for commuters, as well as class scheduling so that com- muters don't have to have blocks of time 1 t u u 1 1 i l v .l : '1 'N i .Mi