Commuter: napping rights

Christina Fong, issue 5, Opinion - By Christina Fong on Thursday, October 7, 2010 - 02:27

It is hard to be involved on campus when almost all activities and extracurriculars are geared toward those who dorm at Whittier. Not only is being active on campus a struggle, but so is meeting new people. In addition to that, try to navigate your way through a new school as a first-year and you will see things can get a bit hectic.

I personally would have loved to dorm at Whittier. Unfortunately, since I live only 30 minutes away from campus, my parents and I both decided I would be better off staying at home. The $9,000 price tag that goes along with living on campus was enough to deter us.

Now that I have started school and am trying to balance my classes while still trying to sneak in an activity or two, I realize what a benefit it is to live on-campus.
Had I lived on campus, I would not have to wake up an hour before class to get ready or deal with the half an hour commute which, although not much compared to my other commuter friends, is still a hassle.

Not to mention I would not have to rely on my parents to drive me back and forth to school since I do not have my license yet. But most of all, I think what bothers me the most is, when I am staying late at school for an event or activity I have nowhere to nap. Now hear me out first before you laugh.

It is after lunch; you are full and do not have another class for a couple hours and you are feeling sleepy. What do you usually do?

I bet most people that live on campus go to their rooms to take a nap. I cannot do that. I do not have a warm comfy bed to slip into or my own room to rest peacefully in.

Yes, I am aware that there are couches in the library and around campus. Sorry, but I do not sleep well with an audience. Performance fright, you know?

I really wish Whittier College catered a bit more to commuters. I know we are a minority on campus, but that is what makes things that much harder.

Many clubs, sports practices and activities are not planned with consideration to a commuter’s schedule.

That is not to say that Whittier does not have some amenities for commuters; on the contrary, the commuter lounge is wonderful. With its small, yet cozy eating area and kitchen filled with all the appliances one could need, it is a safe-haven to commuters.

I go there when I would like to heat up some food or grab a drink of water from the water coolers there. Often times I will also meet some other fellow commuters to share a friendly conversation.

While this is wonderful, it would be nice if a nap area was created for commuters as well. That way we would have a place to rest between classes and it would make staying at school late much more bearable.

As a commuter, I wish I too could participate as fully in our community as I would like and not be hindered by time constraints.