O’Shea Nowlin ~ Guest Writer
Hello, Commuter Students! We are the Commuter Student Association (a.k.a. CSA) here at University of Lynchburg! One of our main goals here on campus is to serve all of you by listening to any concerns you guys may have as commuters, and there are a few ways you can get in contact with us to voice your concerns.
We have an office in Pete’s Place on the bottom floor of Drysdale and it is the first office you will see — we have painted CSA on our office window and the names of our executive board members are on our door. Secondly, you can email any of our executive board members with comments. Thirdly, we try to host frequent student meetings during the semester, so that you guys can meet with us in person and discuss any issues or concerns. Our last student meeting of this semester is Nov. 21 at 5 :00 p.m. in the Commuter Lounge on the corner of Vernon St., and it is also our Friendsgiving Potluck!
Another one of our goals is to provide fun events for every student, even if you are not a commuter! In the past, we have done at least one event a month. Last month we had our Make S’more Friends event where we had FREE s’mores and talked with students, and in September we hosted Queso and Questions in the Commuter Lounge where we introduced commuters to our brand new Commuter Lounge!
This month, we are hosting three events, two of which will be in the Commuter Lounge. On Nov. 13, CSA will be doing a fundraiser at the Chipotle on Lakeside Dr. from 5:00- 9:00 p.m., so come support CSA and have that delicious burrito or bowl you have been craving! On Nov. 21, we will host the Friendsgiving Potluck in the lounge, which is our last student meeting, so come on out with your friends and eat good food! Lastly, on Nov. 22, we will host Pajama Partea from 7:00- 9:00 p.m. in the lounge where we will have a variety of hot tea to warm you up during the cold weather and some fun crafts! Next month, we will have our very last event of the semester which is Coloring and Cocoa in the lounge, also from 7:00- 9:00 p.m., where you can destress with some delicious hot chocolate and art right before exams start! Don’t forget to mark these events down in your calendar!
Next semester we are planning some more exciting events, so if you have any suggestions please let us know! As of right now, we have BYOB (Be Your Own Bae) on Valentine’s Day to promote self-love and happiness. In March, we plan to have a game night where we will have our own card and board games, so be sure to bring your friends to this event. Lastly, we plan to have CSA’s very first cook out in April!
Here are some helpful tips for you guys being commuter students:
- Leave at least 5 to 10 minutes earlier than you think you may need to to account for traffic.
- If you do not pack your own lunch, the University offers the Hornet Plan for commuters. More information can be found by searching on the University’s website.
- Get a Sheetz card! Signing up is free and it always saves you 3 cents per gallon.
- Use the new Commuter Lounge! It is quiet and a great place to study or get work done. It’s open from 6:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. every day.
- Students can park anywhere designated with WHITE lines. YELLOW lines are reserved for faculty and staff.