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Miami University commuter students turn to a "home away from home" when they arrive in the Shriver Center.
The Commuter Center, housed in 100 Shriver Center, acts as a place to relax and study for students from nearby cities.
Senior Michael Houser, an English education major, commutes to Miami from Trenton.
Houser said he enjoys the "residence hall" feel he gets from the Commuter Center.
"We have a nice little community, and it's better than being stranded on campus with a 50 lb. backpack," Houser said. "There's a nice cohort here and we can all get together."
The Commuter Center includes amenities such as a big-screen TV, lockers for storage, several computers for Internet use, private study spaces and a kitchen area.
The students participate in card games, study sessions and video game tournaments during leisure time. Even nicknames have replaced birth names in the Commuter Center.
"Everyone knows everyone when you walk in," said junior Richard "Chet" Jefferson, a middle childhood education major.
His commute brings him in from Harrison, Ohio, which he estimated to be a 30-minute drive.
Commuter students can come from cities as far as Milford, Ohio, which is an hour commute.
"Most of the students are from Ohio, but there are some from Indiana," Jefferson said.
Courtney Davey, a sophomore commuter, said the center is always looking for ways to improve.
"We're working on communication between commuters, to get more people involved," Davey said. She first learned about the center through her first-year adviser and said everyone welcomed her.
"We try to keep our door open when our staff is here, because this is one of the only places on campus that commuters are familiar and comfortable with," said Madeline Vitek, academic adviser and graduate assistant to the Commuter Center.
Vitek supervises the Commuter Center and said a majority of the commuters aren't from Oxford.
She did mention some commuters are Oxford residents and make up a portion of the Center's population.
Vitek said the commuter population is around 200 to 300 students. There are around 50 to 70 commuter students in each academic class.
Vitek also said numbers have decreased this year, with more commuters attending the Middletown and Hamilton campuses.
"It's more challenging to be a commuter student," Vitek said. "You don't have the luxury of running back to your dorm in between classes."
In the Commuter Center, there's a "Campus Resources" filing system, where student organizations can invite the commuters to get involved. However, the commuters are finding ways to bond together within the center.
"We don't have signs that say 'Commuters! This way!'" said senior James Gabbard. "But that's something we're working on."
Gabbard, along with many of the commuters, is continuing to involve more students. He said in his four years at Miami, he's seen a significant increase in socializing. He said some commuters gather on the weekend, and others have teamed up to start a podcast about news, sports and life.
The center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, and many commuter activities are held there as well. Dances, holiday parties, Commuter Council meetings and even Super Smash Bros. tournaments are constantly found within the walls of the center.
"The students are my favorite part of this job," Vitek said. "They are exceptional people who have truly built something special here."
