Library lounge opens for commuters

Indiana State University's "campus living room" now has a dedicated space for commuter students to use for relaxing and studying.

On the second floor of Cunningham Memorial Library across from the north stairwell, commuters can find a place to unwind between classes or to put in that extra time working on a paper or project.

"Commuter students make up a majority of the student population at ISU," said Michael Gant, ISU commuter service coordinator. "It is important for the students to feel that their unique needs are being met by Indiana State."

While students who live on campus can return to their dorm rooms between classes, commuter students now have a place where they can relax or study. There also is a commuter lounge in Hulman Memorial Student Union.

As part of reaching out to commuter students and making their time spent at the university as productive as possible, ISU also has loaner laptop computers available for checkout. Commuter students, defined as any student who does not live on campus, can check out the laptops for four hours but they cannot be removed from the library. Gant said both the library and HMSU are seeing a steady stream of commuters using the laptops.

Alberta Comer, library dean, said they are excited to host the commuter lounge.

"The lounge, along with the laptops that the library currently checks out to commuter students for in-house use, helps students who do not live on campus by offering them a convenient place in which to study and relax," she said. "This idea fits right into the library being the campus living room."

The lounge is open the same hours as the library, which during the summer sessions is from Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Gant also plans to start a commuter student organization, Commuter Students Involved: Sycamore or CSI: Sycamore.

"It's a way for commuters to get plugged into activities on the campus and make their time at Indiana State more rewarding," Gant said.

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Contact: Michael Gant, Indiana State University, commuter services coordinator, at 812-237-8423 or Michael.Gant@indstate.edu

Alberta Comer, Indiana State University, dean of Cunningham Memorial Library at 812-237-2649 or acomer@isugw.indstate.edu

Writer: Jennifer Sicking, Indiana State University, assistant director of media relations, at 812-237-7972 or jsicking@indstate.edu