Commuter students will soon have a place to lounge and study during the day that many don’t have access to since they do not live on campus.   

The Commuter Student Association President Mary Piaskowski said one of the association’s larger projects of the semester is planning a commuter’s lounge space in the lower level of the Memorial Student Center.

“The Commuter Lounge has been in the works since over the summer, and we plan to have it open to students by the end of the semester,” Piaskowski, sophomore biology major, said. “It will include a refrigerator, a microwave and a Keurig in a space to eat food. It will also include more private places to study, along with a lounge space that includes couches and TVs. We really want to create a space for commuters to call their own and be able to relax in between classes.”

Andy Hermansdorfer, director of Student Involvement and Leadership and faculty advisor to the organization, and Piaskowski collaborated to create the group last summer and officially started it in the fall semester of 2017.

The Commuter Student Association offers a variety of services, and they team up with the Campus Activities Board to screen movies during the day, instead of just at night, so commuters have more of a chance to watch them. 

“Some other events we sponsor are free breakfast for commuters; we’ll have hot food and coffee set up for commuters to swing by and enjoy,” Piaskowski said. “We also host commuter sessions for students touring Marshall and help answer any questions about coming to Marshall and commuting.”

Meetings are held every first and third Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. in the lower level of the student center in the Marco’s lounge area.

“In the future, we plan to add information sessions for commuters and more free events for people to come relax,” Piaskowski said. “I’d like to see us grow in membership and hopefully be able to more fully connect with the Marshall community. We really want to create a welcoming environment for commuters and let them know they have a voice on campus, and we want to help them connect.”

Amanda Larch can be contacted at [email protected].