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The Burchard Lounge. Photo by Andrew Kinney.

Conditions for Commuters

Stevens is a relatively small school in a relatively dense and expensive town, so in a recent issue of The Stute, an article was published detailing the many ways housing options have changed for students. However, there is a significant population of students who subvert the challenges of Hoboken housing by avoiding it entirely: the commuters. So, in the interest of thoroughness, The Stute reached out to the Commuter Student Union for an update on commuting conditions at Stevens.

When students who live on or near campus have unstructured time, they always have the option of going home to rest, study, socialize, etc. However, when going home involves gas, money, time, loss of a parking space, or considerable use of any other resources, doing so in between classes or commitments becomes much less feasible. Therefore, common areas have always had a higher degree of importance for students who commute. The recent construction projects, especially the destruction of both Hayden and Jacobus, have significantly reduced the available amount of such common space, and here is some of what commuters had to say about the matter:

“There are barely any spots around campus to wait for the next class besides the Burchard lounge and library, both of which get very crowded some days. Many days I have an 8 hour gap between classes, so I’ve found that places to rest peacefully or work productively are scarce.” —John MacAuliffe

“I come to campus by train and I have to plan what to bring on any given day. On occasion, if I want to work out on campus I have to bring a gym bag as well as my regular bag. Having less places to store these things or even sit forces me to carry these things everywhere and that’s pretty annoying.” —Jonathan Melamed

“I don’t mind because I still have lots of places.” —Youssef Mohamed

“I’m not entirely sure about what other people think, but I feel it really sucks. I was a big fan of hanging out in Hayden lounge because I could heat up my food but also socialize with other commuters as well and people who live on campus. I made a bunch of friends that way and now it’s more difficult. I eat now in Burchard lounge and the feeling is not the same. It’s not really a social environment and it bums me out.” —Randiel Zoquier

“It’s horrible. I didn’t even use the other lounges that got closed and mainly staying in Babbio but now I pray that I can find one of the desks let alone a space in the Babbio lounge.” —Kerim Karabacak

“I’m sure it is a very frustrating experience to look for space to study or hang out. I’ve generally been fortunate because I do not have large gaps between classes that would necessitate finding a space to lounge.” —CSU Vice President Rachel Kim

When asked about this reduction in space, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sara Klein said, “Commuter students will find that in the coming weeks, many more public spaces will open for their use. First, the Gateway Academic Center will have some public seating and socializing areas, in addition to the Gateway Café that will open inside the Center. Second, Alexander House should also open this fall, with a nicely sized multipurpose spaces for student use, as well as a game room and 2 conference rooms. I also strongly encourage commuter students to explore existing on-campus spaces — there are many times during the day when plenty of seats are open in Pierce Café, America’s Cup, and Red & Gray Café, as well as in the library and other campus lounge spaces in academic buildings.”

As mentioned in some of the above quotes, one of the major spaces still available is the Burchard Lounge. Sometimes called the commuter lounge, it has become more crowded as an effect of the construction previously detailed. Due to the delays in the opening of the Gateway Academic Complex, there have even been reports of classes being held in the space, though not all students experienced this:

“In my observation it has been the graduate or senior programs that tend to meet there; it drastically lowers the space and the room gets very crowded and somewhat noisy because they take the group study room. Classes have not ‘supposedly’ been meeting there, they have, I have seen them there, they have even put up flyers announcing that they are meeting there.” —John MacAuliffe

“It has been difficult finding space at certain times because of class meetings there as well as that lounge generally being stuffed like it never has been.” —CSU President Asim Qureshi

“This has inconvenienced me to an extent because now there’s increased foot traffic in Burchard lounge and more students than ever before aren’t living on-campus. So, the lounge isn’t exclusive for commuters because there are different classes of ‘commuters.’” —CSU SGA Representative Alyaa Elkhafif

“I have never experienced any classes being held in this location.” —CSU Vice President Rachel Kim

Sara Klein responded to the inquiry about classes in Burchard lounge by saying, “There are no classes scheduled in Burchard Lounge. The Quiet Room and the general study area in Burchard Lounge 127 are non-reservable, though the Team Room (127-B) is reservable by students, staff and faculty for events and meetings.”

Commuters were then asked about if the many recent street closures and parking complications had affected them, and whether they had been adequately notified about these potential roadblocks:

“I was not even aware that there were supposedly street closing notifications in the first place, I was never made privy to this. Though, a few weeks back I tried to park in Babbio (after missing my train and having to drive down) only to be met with the fact that Sinatra Dr. was closed. Needless to say, finding another lot while also finessing my way away from the closed Sinatra Dr. was somewhat stressful.” —Jonathan Melamed

“I have not received reports about street closures, it has not greatly affected me though.” —John MacAuliffe

“I’ve had little issues with street closures. My only issue is with parking as many of my classes this semester aren’t held until the afternoon and it’s not easy to find parking at that time. I’ve been forced to come to campus at least two hours before my first class to ensure that I’ll find parking.” —CSU Vice President Rachel Kim

“No. I take the train and walk to campus.” —Anonymous

The next question was: Have you ever had any difficulties with professors, classes, or clubs because of an issue related to commuting? No students reported any issues with classes or professors, stating that they tended to be very understanding, but many expressed difficulty with attending most club meetings:

“Some of the club meetings that I really want to attend are on weekdays and start/end late (8:30pm – 11pm). As someone whose commute is up to an hour, it’s really dissuading me to participate in such events.” —Ankit Patel

“Most clubs meet late at night at around 9PM when most commuters have to be home, so it gets difficult maintaining commitment. Professors are usually understanding and accommodating for me when I talk to them about it.” —CSU President Asim Qureshi

“No, in fact I was once late to class because my train got cancelled (after the train in front of it collided with a car) and the TA teaching my Calculus recitation was very understanding.” —Jonathan Melamed

The Stute also asked about a few other previously reported concerns, such as Babbio Garage closing early or specific issues related to commuting by bus or train, but these were left largely unsubstantiated by the commuters who responded. Finally, the commuters were asked if there was anything else they would like to add:

“Stevens really needs to add more parking before bringing more students than ever. After 11:00 am parking is NON EXISTENT and it takes me and others sometimes over half an hour to find someone that leaves the lot so that we can park. And they want to add a giant skyscraper of a dorm to bring in even more students? Can they think of the commuters that already get shafted by Stevens in a bunch of different ways already and not add to their troubles. Like I’m sorry we aren’t giving you $15k a year just to stay in a bunch of run down Hoboken apartments but COME ON. My and most others’ commutes already take 30min to 1.5 hours depending on traffic and when I get to Stevens I can’t even find a spot to sit down. I say we protest by bringing 20+ folding tables and setting them up on the Hayden construction area and hanging a giant sign saying ‘NEW COMMUTER LOUNGE.'” —Kerim Karabacak

“Commuting is hard, but I deal with it because I love this school. The only regret I have is I lose a lot of social interaction because of it and wish there were a few more opportunities for me to interact on campus.” —Randiel Zoquier

“Quite often, it seems like the commuter voices are either too soft to hear or just plain ignored. We need to make sure that the Stevens community recognizes its large commuter population and help each other to make student life more accessible and worthwhile. We at the Commuter Student Union strive to do this through events, meeting with administrators to ask for more benefits, and speaking out when necessary because we are at an immediate disadvantage compared to others. So next time you see a commuter, talk to them — ask them how their commute was, how their day is going — but most of all, ask them what can be done to improve their college life. Hear us out. Believe me, we’ll be worth your time to listen to.” —CSU President Asim Qureshi

“I would want commuters to get priority for scheduling next year. It does not make sense that someone who dorms can get a 9 am class and someone who commutes with a train for an hour has to deal with an 8 am to 8 pm classes. I thankfully changed my schedule but many others were not able to.” —Youssef Mohamed

“Many of the review sessions that I want to attend are held on Sunday nights (almost always after 8pm), which is quite possibly the most inconvenient time to hold a review session on a weekend.” —Ankit Patel

“As Vice-President of the Commuter Student Union, I just want to say that we are always open to co-hosting events during the day with other organizations. We view such collaboration as a great opportunity to increase commuter involvement on campus.” —CSU Vice President Rachel Kim

“Commuting can be pretty hard and cause a lot of stress so I just recommend people be nice to each other to help alleviate that.” —Jonathan Melamed

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