Commuter Students at FGCU Eagle View Orientation 2015 The Office of New Student Programs

Welcome to FGCU!! It’s great to see you here, sharing the orientation experience with your students! The more you know about FGCU, the better – it is important to develop that THREE WAY PARTNERSHIP that you heard about earlier this morning. This partnership begins during orientation!

This Session is for YOU! We added this presentation to EVO back in 2011 based on suggestions from families whose students were not living on campus. The focus will be on providing information and practical tips about how commuting students can have a great experience at FGCU. You are an important source of support and encouragement for your students, so be sure to share these ideas and suggestions with them before the start of their first semester…

All About You Where are you from? What are some of the reasons your student (and you) made the decision to commute to FGCU?? Some common reasons include: – Money – it’s cheaper to live at home than on campus! – Some students aren’t ready to move away from home…or their families aren’t ready for them to leave! – Living in a residence hall may not appeal to some students…for many reasons. – Other students have jobs off campus that pay well, and travel becomes an issue. – Perhaps the boyfriend or girlfriend is also living off campus, or doesn’t go to FGCU. – Other reasons??

The Secret to Successful Commuting?? …in truth, there IS no big secret to having a great experience! Access to information, offices, resources, and campus events that you will hear about during orientation is exactly the same for commuter students as it is for students who live on campus. Commuter students have to be intentional about becoming a part of campus life. It’s all about balancing time spent ON CAMPUS with time spent off campus!

Ten Things You Ought to Know about Commuting Some of these are logistical, some are philosophical, and some are based on what we know about commuter students based on research that has been conducted. Find time to share them with your student before the start of the semester!

Know the Rules about Parking on Campus All vehicles must be registered with Parking Services. Commuters can park in the following lots: – Lots 6 and 7 – Parking Garage (PG) 1, 2, 3, and 4 – The Garage Auxiliary (Lot 8) There isn’t a parking spot for every individual – people come and go! Encourage your student to PLAN AHEAD – estimate the time you think you need to get to campus…and add an hour. We have a ride sharing program called RIDE2FGCU.

Making Social Connections is More Challenging Meeting new people and forming new friendships is always one of the top concerns of our students as they begin college. For commuting students who don’t live around lots of other freshmen, it’s easy to feel isolated when the only students they meet are in their classes… Encourage your student to explore different ways to meet new people: – Through joining a few student organizations – By participating in campus activities

Getting Involved = Eagle Pride! Involvement is key to student success – it makes the entire experience feel more like college and less like high school… It’s easy for commuting students to not have the same feeling of school pride that residential students have, when they see FGCU as “a place to go to class” and nothing else. Campus involvement serves many important purposes!

Connecting with Campus Resources The further away from campus a commuter student lives, the LESS likely he or she is to take advantage of the educational and personal resources the institution provides. It’s easy for commuters to feel as though they have to make additional trips to campus to spend time with a faculty member or visit the Center for Academic Achievement. It’s important for commuter students to STAY ON CAMPUS between classes!

Get them OUT OF THEIR CARS! We see students all the time who eat lunch in their cars, or who spend time in their cars texting their friends, reading…even SLEEPING! Connecting to the campus culture comes from actually BEING on campus: – Finding interesting, unique places to eat meals or get studying done; – Spending time in the Cohen Center, at Starbucks, or sitting on the Library Lawn; – Using campus recreation facilities, the Main Library, and key resource offices. …with connection, comes community.

Encourage Them to Stay On Campus Many commuter students have found that their college experience is more fulfilling if they adopt an “8 to 5” mentality about being on the FGCU campus: – They arrive on campus at a consistent time; – They study on campus between classes; – They eat meals on campus (even if they bring them from home); – They participate in organizational meetings and sporting events; – They utilize campus facilities and support services; – They even find jobs on campus! Even though they don’t live on campus, it feels like they do!

Is Your Student Living With You? Most new college students are very excited about the newfound freedom that comes with being on their own for the first time. Commuters are no different! Now that your student is in college, he or she may have a different set of expectations for what their life will be like than you do… It is important to have a conversation about this: – What are THEIR expectations about continuing to live at home? – What are YOUR expectations? Why do you have these expectations?? It’s important to allow greater freedom, but with that comes certain expectations…

Are They Living on Their Own…Off Campus? The research shows that students who live on their own off campus during the first year of college drop out at much higher rates (up to TWICE as much) than their peers who live on campus. – Living on campus allows students to be positively influenced by peers and residence life staff – study habits, making good choices… – When they are truly on their own without anyone around them to provide mentoring and guidance and they lack “knowledge about college”…it’s easy for them to think it’s just like high school but with more time to relax and have fun!

Working and Going to College is a Balancing Act Many students work part-time during college to make ends meet or to have spending money, but here are a few things to keep in mind: – The more hours a student works, the FEWER hours they should take each semester…especially in the freshman year. – A significant percentage of freshmen who wind up on Academic Warning after their first semester worked MORE than 20 hours per week. – It’s easy for commuter students to work more hours to fill a social void in their lives, rather than taking part in campus activities; – Off-campus jobs might pay better, but they can lack flexibility in scheduling around class and exam times. On-campus jobs are typically posted through Career Development Services’ website!

Being a Commuter Student HAS its Advantages! The money you save can be used in other ways. Your students can maintain close family ties and keep in touch with friends from home. This is often a concern for students who live on campus… Our commuter students tell us: – There are fewer distractions – residence halls are noisy, even during quiet hours! – It’s easier to sleep in their own beds; – Home cooked meals are great – even though they may be around for fewer of them; – Of course, there’s the (occasional) laundry service! The goal? To strike a balance between life on campus and life at home.

In Closing Take some time to talk about some of these things before the start of the semester. Find ways to check in with them now and then. Ask them questions: – Are they meeting new people? – Are they involved in campus activities? – Do they spend time on campus? – Are they enjoying their experience? What do they enjoy the most? – What are their biggest challenges? Help them think about how to address these challenges on their own… Partner with us to ensure their success!