B.T.E.O.T.W.U.W.B.A.T.
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Definition
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Practice based in theory
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Organizational structure
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Successful programs and services
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Revenue and self sustaining
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Additional resources

 At what type of institution are?
 Community College (most students live off campus)
 Community College (most students live on campus)
 4 Year Public Institution (most students live off campus)
 4 Year Public Institution (most students live on campus)
 4 Year Private Institution (most students live off campus)
 4 Year Private Institution (most students live on campus)

 How do you define “commuter” on your campus?
 Any student not living in University owned housing, i.e. students commuting from home and students living just off campus
 Students who commute from their families’ or their own home
 Students who have never lived on campus
 Only undergraduate students
 Both undergraduate and graduate students
 Just graduate students
 Other (write in)

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“Traditional Age” student living in family’s home or off campus
Transfer student
Veteran student
Adult learner
Student with dependants
Part time student
Online learner (hybrid programs)

“All students who do not live in institution-owned housing.”
ASU’s definition of COMMUTER
Students
◦ A student who lives at their permanent address
◦ ALL Commuter Students are Off-Campus students

– John Nonnamaker, Providence College, Rhode Island
Family
Student
Academics
Social Life/Work
Professional
Development
Campus Activities/
Student Organizations

Tinto (1993)- Model of
Institutional Departure
 To persist, students need integration into:
 formal (academic performance) and informal (faculty/staff interactions)
 academic systems
 (extracurricular activities) and informal
(peer-group interactions) social systems.

Off-Campus Housing
Services
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Housing Guide
On-line housing locator service (ASU specific)
◦ Roommate matching
Student Legal Services
Moving Up – Moving Out
◦ off-campus transition presentations
Adult Learner Resources
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Individualized Success
Coaching
Connections to tutoring, software training, and academic workshops
Partner with Veteran
Services and Transfer
Center

ASU Family Resources
 Provide university families with resources
 Manage Child Care Center on campus
 Advocate for students with dependants
 Expand family responsive policies
Community Outreach &
Partnerships
 City partnerships
 Safety Forums with campus and city police
 Off-Campus Housing Fairs
 Community Service events
 Community Mentoring program
 Behavior adjudication
 Restorative Justice model

One of the challenges for a commuter student is finding a place on campus where they belong and can have substantive interactions with other students.
◦ Orlando in Jacoby, 2000

 How do I provide students with the resources, services and support so that they can be engaged?
 How do I connect and engage our commuters with faculty, staff and students?
 How do I provide transformative and seamless learning opportunities?
 How do I show off-campus & commuter students they matter on this campus?
 How can I translate what is happening in the
Residence Halls for commuter students?
 Especially for first year students

“Close working relationships with other students not only provide emotional support but also powerfully strengthen educational gains from the formal curriculum.”
 Chickering in Jacoby, 2000, p. 23

Community Mentoring
 Collaborative effort
 Provides students the opportunity for career exploration/development
 Shadowing a city officials
 Designed to strengthen and broaden the Town Gown relationship
 Enhance academic retention efforts
Community Liaisons
 A student position embedded within the Be A Good Neighbor properties
◦ Engage & connect students together through events, programs, & services
◦ Assist in building stronger, cooperative communities and help to improve the quality of life in the community

Moving from Programming to an Engagement Model
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Willy Wonka’s Elevator
◦ Tie the Change to Strategic Plans
◦ Re-emphasize the importance of the work we are doing
◦ Work to develop a more encompassing peer mentorship model
◦ Explore ways to increase student access and utilization of current programs on campus

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Student Government Representatives
Educating colleagues about the commuter experience
Involving and educating parents and family members about their student’s collegiate experience
Using assessment data to demonstrate need
Going beyond the silo
Looking beyond institutional image

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Involving Key Stakeholders
◦ Off-campus partnerships – neighborhoods, cities
◦ On-campus partnerships – Parents Association
Funding
◦ Potential obstacles in getting started
 Student fees
 Student Government
 Operating Budgets
◦ Partnerships for start-up funds
 Student Government
 Town/Gown relationships
 VP of Student Affairs
 Development Office

Financial Resources – Creating
Revenue Streams
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ASU’s Be A Good Neighbor program
◦ Multiple tiers/levels to ‘buy in’
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 Fee for service concept
 Adjust each year
 ROI
Housing Fairs
◦ Pay to participate
 Different price points for vender categories

QUESTIONS ???

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ACPA Commission for Commuter
Students and Adult Learners http://www.myacpa.org/comm/commuter/
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National Clearinghouse for Commuter
Programs http://nccp.nsuok.edu/
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International Town-Gown Network http://towngown.colostate.edu/faq.asp

Amy Golden
Director for Strategic Initiatives
Arizona State University amy.golden@asu.edu
(480) 965-7661
Off-Campus & Commuter Student Services http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/reslife/occss