IWU hosted a focus group for commuter students at Lolas’ aimed at improving campus life.
Last year, a survey was sent out to all students on-campus and those who commute to get a better understanding of how campus life is viewed among the students.
“Based on the conversations, the Office for Academic Thriving will create an action plan for improvement,” Zina Teague said, Director of Student Engagement. “Your voice is very important to us.”
The focus group had 10 participants in each of the two groups, one at 11 a.m. and another 12 p.m.
“For commuters, it can sometimes feel like we’re just in and out of campus based on our schedules,” Adriano Candindo Jr., an engineering major, said. “It means a lot that the university is asking what they can do to make the involvement better and willing to take action.”
The Office for Academic Thriving hopes that these conversations will not only focus on the current gaps in commuters and the engagement on campus, but also new ideas to better connect them to the community.
“Even though I commute, I’ve felt really welcomed by the community to stay on campus and do work while I’m here,” Garrett Miller, an education major, said. “It’s nice to know that the university is still thinking about how to make it even better for us.”
Following the completion of the focus group, the participants were able to help themselves to refreshments and were able to choose between a JBL speaker or a sweatshirt from the campus store as a thank you.
It is important that as the university is moving to more commuter students, their voices are heard, and IWU can help create the best environment for them to succeed.
