51视频-Dearborn is the only fully commuter campus out of the 15 public universities in Michigan, and it鈥檚 long been discussed whether that unique status was a net pro or con. Recently, though, there鈥檚 been a lot of enthusiasm for seeing the commuter experience as a real asset. In the university鈥檚 strategic plan, it鈥檚 even featured as a core part of our identity. So what鈥檚 changed? When we asked Dean of Students Amy Finley, who鈥檚 been serving on a university working group charged with improving the commuter experience, she said the pandemic seems to have brought some fresh thinking to an old debate. Specifically, not having densely populated residence halls during a public health emergency proved to be a huge logistical advantage. And Finley says that seemed to get campus leaders thinking about what else might be positive about our version of the commuter experience.
There are plenty of reasons why the commuter format seems like it could be a plus for the university in today鈥檚 higher education environment. For starters, Finley says the cost of college has continued to climb. 51视频-Dearborn, of course, prides itself in being an engine of social mobility: Nearly half our students are first-generation college students, and just south of half are Pell-grant eligible, meaning they face substantial challenges paying for college. As such, there鈥檚 a large pool of students in the metro area who probably aren鈥檛 looking for a residential experience simply because they鈥檙e priced out of one. In contrast, the ability to live at home, study at a University of Michigan campus, and have lots of access to co-ops and internships within driving distance, simply offers more bang for their buck. Another trend Finley is noticing: Adult students who are already fully in the workforce but who are interested in flexible graduate programs featuring evening or hybrid options. This again is a type of student who鈥檚 not really interested in dorm life.
In fact, while we often characterize our students as commuters, it鈥檚 probably not the most descriptive term. Finley says often their most defining quality isn鈥檛 that they live somewhere else and drive to campus, it鈥檚 that they are 鈥渘avigating multiple life responsibilities.鈥 鈥淭hey may be a traditional student, but may also be working 30 hours a week to contribute to their families鈥 or their own living expenses,鈥 she says. 鈥淢any of our students are parents. Many live in multi-generational homes and may be caring for parents or grandparents.鈥 This translates into a greater need for flexibility. And in this area, the pandemic experience has been especially instructive. Pre-pandemic, core campus services, like financial aid and academic advising, typically were an in-person, come-see-us-during-office-hours-between-9-and-5 kind of affair. When that became impossible, we learned new ways to deliver those services, most notably through Zoom and chat. Commuter students loved it, Finley says. A 15-minute Zoom call simply fit much better into their busy schedules than an equivalent face-to-face session that required a 45-minute round-trip drive squeezed into a lunch break. Moving forward, she says that change to service delivery will be permanent. They鈥檙e even eyeing some additional innovations aimed at working students, like one night a week where all services in the University Center will be open late.
Finley says they're also tackling another common commuter campus challenge: making sure students have rich experiences beyond academics. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e at higher risk of students鈥 relationships with us being more transactional,鈥 Finley says. 鈥淧eople could easily drive here, walk into class, not talk to anybody, take notes, high-tail it back to their cars and go home. But that doesn鈥檛 maximize the college experience. We want our students to be able to 鈥榝ind their people,鈥 whether that鈥檚 through a campus job, or a research opportunity, going to an open skate at the Fieldhouse, or getting a cup of coffee with a classmate. We probably have to be working a little harder than a residential campus to make sure that sense of belonging is happening.鈥
To that end, Finley and the student life teams have been reimagining some spaces in the University Center. Their current renovation project will turn the underutilized former student organization center into a second-floor mixed-use lounge. Finley says it will feature a 鈥渃offee house vibe鈥 in the front with additional informally divided spaces for socializing, homework and group projects. They also really wanted to give student life a footprint on the first floor of the building, where folks might be more likely to pass by and have their interest piqued. So this past September, they soft-launched the new Campus Involvement Hub, where students can do everything from check out board games to get information about student organizations. Allison Kinsey, our new assistant director at the Office of Student Life, says the new space is definitely in its experimental phase, given that student density on campus is still a fraction of what it was pre-pandemic. But they鈥檙e already seeing how it might fill a niche. On any given day, Kinsey is seeing students drop by to ask questions about student organizations, pick up free 51视频-Dearborn swag, and when the weather is nice, check out ladder ball, cornhole and a giant 4-foot tall version of Connect 4. They鈥檙e also tracking what services are used the most. 鈥淭hat will give us some good data moving forward on what people are coming for 鈥 and what we don鈥檛 have that they鈥檙e looking for,鈥 Kinsey says. 鈥淲e have ideas about what we鈥檇 like to add. But we really want students to lead that conversation.鈥
On the immediate horizon, Kinsey says expect some more (cooler) board games. She recently helped curate a list that better matches the tastes of 20- and 30-somethings (nothing against Candyland, but , and are worthy additions). And a few months from now, she鈥檚 looking forward to a few 鈥渃ampus involvement consultants鈥 joining their team. The idea is that students could stop by, share their interests, and then get personalized recommendations for student orgs, volunteer opportunities, jobs, or activities that are a good match. On a campus where student life may require some extra cultivation, a little coaching could go a long way.
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Story by Lou Blouin
