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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , according to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Commuter Student Services is one of the 39 functional areas of student affairs and services. Commuter Student Services Student services staff have the responsibility of supporting Off-Campus and Commuter students as they navigate their post-secondary education experience in an attempt to support the retention and graduation of this student population.

Contents

• Terminology
• Challenges
• Programming
• Theories
• References

Terminology

Commuter students are defined as those who do not live in institution owned housing. A commuter student population can be found at every institution of higher education and can represent a small minority of students or the entire student population. Commuter students include full-time students who may live at home with their parents, or in off campus housing, as well as fully employed adults who live with their spouses and/or children and attend college part time. Commuters may live near the campus or far away and can have various forms of transportation which can depend on the city and living situation.

Challenges

Student - Off-campus students are facing a number of challenges comprising of high rental rates, poor living conditions, long distances from the university, inability to access library services and lack of security. This student body often puts pressure on the university to assist them with landlord-tenant disputes and roommate or neighbour conflicts. Commuter students also report that they feel disconnected and marginalized from campus life. Due to distance from the University, commuters despite efforts to do so, find it more challenging to access opportunities to interact with faculty members, participate in enriching educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom, and experiencing diversity and opportunities to synthesize and apply knowledge.

Student Affairs - University staff who wish to address challenges faced by the current commuter community, encounter barriers. Funding for programs related to supporting off-campus students is a common area of concern as well as the valuable resource of staff time.

Programming

Various programs have emerged at Post-Secondary institutions to help support and meet the needs of commuter students as they study.

Peer Mentors - Sometimes referred to as peer educators, is a formalized peer support program. Students in these roles make connections and maintain relationships with students in assigned buildings or neighbourhoods. Peer Mentors are meant to support students with concerns and issues, provide insight for the university into off-campus students' questions or concerns, and develop social and/or educational programs for the off-campus student population. Off-campus peer educators may also be tasked with addressing behavioural problems by educating students on the consequences of illegal behaviour and substance use.

Theories

With the understanding that theory and high‐quality, intentional practice are connected, Barbara Jacoby uses theories to understand commuter students, institutional environments, and the nature of interactions between them. She summarized the research of the following theories and how they can be applied to serving commuter students.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - According to this theory, human needs can be conceptualized as a pyramid. Basic needs are required in order to progress toward psychological needs, including love, friendship and self-esteem. Jacoby claims that commuter students are often preoccupied with satisfying their lower-level needs, and it is essential that institutions provide services to meet those needs since without them students cannot focus on achieving educational goals.

Mattering and Marginality - Mattering involves the feeling that others depend, are interested and concerned about us. In the case of commuter students, mattering and marginality theory can be applied by examining policies, practices, and classroom experiences that are designed to make these students feel that they matter and are not marginal.

Transition Theory - Transition theory is based on the individual and what they consider to be a transition in their life. The transition to becoming a commuter student is not traditionally seen as a transition since it is less monumentous as moving into residence. Regardless of whether student realize they are in transition, transitions can be challenging and can distract students from putting enough time and concentration into their studies. Post-secondary institutions need to recognize these transitions and provide appropriate support.

Theory of Self Authorship - According to this theory, the journey to self-authorship of traditional-age college students involves a change from external to internal self-definition, viewing students as capable participants in their journey to self-authorship. Commuter students, similar to on-campus students are on the journey to self authorship. Student affairs professionals are encourage to find ways to In order to provide direction, and help commuter students find and engage in opportunities to define their own beliefs and sense of self and build a community among their peers in order to develop more complex and refined perspectives and world-views.