Despite the spacious hangout areas in the Anderson Student Center, some commuter students miss crashing on the couches in the old Commuter Center.
Director of Off-Campus Student Services Josh Hengemuhle said that most students are experiencing a change with the move but added, “I haven’t talked to too many people who aren’t excited about the new student center in general.”
Junior Deanna Ginter, a commuter student, likes the center’s old location better than the new office space.
“It is incomparable,” Ginter said. “I walked in there just to see if they had the couches, and it was just like offices. I was really disappointed.”
Hengemuhle said the office still provides hospitality for a lot of people, but the move has been a change in direction and operation.
“We are still doing bagel Wednesdays, we still have our online housing listings, we’re still doing the renter education programs and we still have free legal advice twice a month,” Hengemuhle said.
Junior Bobby Ranallo, Undergraduate Student Government commuter representative, said that he does not believe commuters are going to feel comfortable crashing on one of the couches in the student center’s atrium.
“It’s not quite quiet enough to,” Ranallo said.
The student center as a whole provides a lounge atmosphere for students and an extra area with couches was unnecessary, Hengemuhle said.
Freshman commuter Jacqueline Lucca said the Murray-Herrick Campus Center space was more of a hangout spot than the new office, but the student center has more lounge space in general.
“I like these (ASC lounge areas) better for studying and hanging out,” Lucca said. “But the comfy atmosphere was nice in the old one.”
Ginter said that she likes the student center but not for the same reasons she liked the old Commuter Center.
“It was kind of nice because as a commuter, sometimes you are here all day ,and you don’t really have a place to go back to,” Ginter said. “Whereas people who live here, if you’re tired during the day, you can go back to your room and take a nap or just relax.”
Patrick Roche can be reached at roch6667@stthomas.edu.
Still plenty of quiet, comfy seating areas in the Library.
I guess that being a full time, on campus, student has some perks.
I read this headline and couldn’t believe it. People are complaining about the new student center because they don’t have the old commuter center couches?? Really??? I graduated in 2010 and never got to experience the AARC or the new student center. I just had to put up with the construction of it all for two years. I saw pictures of the new student center online when it opened. I was up in St. Paul this past weekend and wanted to see what it looked like for myself. I couldn’t believe it. The Anderson Student Center is leaps and bounds ahead of what Murray-Herrick was, yet some people are complaining about couches and it being, “not quiet enough?” Wow. Don’t make stereotypes about UST true by complaining about the most mundane things. Be grateful for the amazing space you have.
@Shane, it’s not just the couches we miss, it’s the community. Incoming freshman next year that commute are going to have a way harder time with meeting people and really feeling welcomed. I know that if I hadn’t had the OCSS lounge fall semester I’d still be eating alone, there are a lot of us who feel that way. We can’t just leave our bags around to run to the bathroom anymore, because there isn’t always someone we know who can watch our stuff. The couches were nice to nap on, especially since a lot of commuter students were at school all day. My first class was at 8 and my last class at 7 at night. I needed to relax on the couches just to get through the day. It’s not that we’re ungrateful, it’s that we miss the family and space we had. We had an area that was just ours, a place where we could go back to and know someone in there all the time. That was a great feeling. The new center is amazing, but there isn’t a space for people to really sleep that’s quiet and away from everything. No one will argue that the ASC isn’t generous and beautiful, it has everything students on campus could ever possibly want, the only thing commuters were hoping for was a place for quiet lounging and eating. A place to really build bonds.
Kendra, Can’t welcome or meet incoming freshmen napping on an old couch. Classrooms, events, and AARC are also good places to meet other students. First class at eight and last at seven is a long time. How about a work study job? Otherwise extra study time should put on the A list.
TJ, you missed her point all together.
Those of us that used the communter center on a daily basis…miss the space due to the fact we can’t meet others that are in the same situations we are in. When you know that someone is always in there, so you don’t have to eat alone or sit alone. In the fall, I was at school 3 days a week from 730 am until 930 pm. That is a long day. Now we can’t even put our lunches in the fridge before our 8 am class and if we have a class after 430 we can’t get our dinner out. The situation for those of us that spent most of our time outside of classes in that room, miss the security that the space gave us. We now feel lost. We feel like our needs were over looked. You can see by the looks of this amazing building that a commuter was only an after tought of the building. They only thing they did was move them from the basement to a corner at the end of a long hallway. Made it now to where NO ONE wants to come in there and those that do it is aware to them that they know they aren’t welcome to come in and socialize, eat, or meet other commuters.
Tami, The real point is St. Thomas is trying to be less of a commuter school. I’m sure the goal is to keep more students on campus. A “fridge” for your lunch sounds good….why not beds to get a few hours sleep too. All students should feel welcome, but facilities are only part of that equation.
TJ
I would love to move to campus. Is there family housing for my husband and two children?
Nope so I guess I will still commute.
TJ, You missed the enitre point. We are greatful for this building. I work two jobs, good advice though. I can’t afford to drive home between classes all the time, have you seen gas prices? How about time in the car? Time better spent studying and hanging out. With the old place commuter students had a group they belonged to, a place where it was easy to meet people. Most students didn’t go in there only to sleep. Most students at UST commute by the way. I used all of that extra time to study I didn’t just sleep in there, it was very rare to actually sleep. Tami was right it was a secure place that we had and it was taken away from us. No one can just leave their stuff on the ground and run to the bathroom they have to pack all of their stuff up. It was a safety net for a lot of students.