The relationship between Tony Frateschi and being a commuter is one of both love and hate.

Loving home cooking, family and familiarity with the area are key reasons why staying home isn’t a bad thing. Avoiding the room and board fees by commuting is logical for some commuter students, even if it means missing out on some late-night shenanigans or making friendships.

The hate comes from having a potentially long ride back home from school. That separation can possibly distance relationships.

While Frateschi, a sophomore undeclared major in the College of Arts and Sciences, realizes the negative sides of commuting, he has come to accept the situation and make the best of it.

“It is what you make it as a commuter,” Frateschi said. “You just have to enjoy your time up here. I’ve learned that I take just as much credits as these kids, I’m just as smart as these kids and I’m just as much of a student as these kids.”

And so it goes for the life of a commuter student. Vincent Wisehoon, another commuter student and an electrical engineering major, is trying to integrate himself into the social lifestyle of Syracuse University.

“The immediate con of being a commuter student is not having an automatic start with direct contact with neighbors,” Wisehoon said.

Wisehoon has had his fair share of people inquire about his situation.

“Usually, you meet someone on the first day and they’ll ask, ‘Where’s your residence hall?’ I respond with ‘The Northside.’ They’ll say, ‘What’s the Northside? Is that a new one?’ ‘Nope, it means the north side of the city,’” said Wisehoon, a freshman.

Some commuter students find the initial icebreaking of socializing with classmates difficult without much common ground. Without that, they’re left with only having classes with other students and the possibility of joining extracurricular activities.

Stephen DeSalvo has taken note of this difficulty.

“Commuter students literally have to go out of their way to get involved and meet other people,” said DeSalvo, a junior chemical engineering major and commuter student.

DeSalvo has found ways to stay involved, including being part of the American Chemical Society and as a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He is also the Comptroller for the Student Association.

“The one reason I am involved is because I like being involved,” DeSalvo said. “I’ve been like that ever since I was in high school and I think it’s helped me tremendously in socializing at school.”

What happens when students don’t have time to get actively involved often depends on the student.

But, the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services offers programs to help commuter students feel more welcomed on campus.

“We open up the doors to the commuter students,” said Elin Riggs, director of the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services. “We’re here so that they don’t feel that they have to leave class and be uncomfortable sitting in the Schine Student Center.”

The office provides a lounge for the students to sit in without it feeling like a babysitting club, Riggs said. They host several programs to help bring the students together such as the annual Taste of Westcott event and bi-weekly luncheons.

“A lot of students don’t really know we exist until they go online to find us,” Riggs said. “We want to make our program more proactive instead of reactionary.”

But not every upperclassman feels they need the help. Relying on independence can cause some overwhelming problems for a freshman, Frateschi said. Having grown up since his freshman year, he’s learned to take advantage of some of the smaller opportunities that SU offers.

Published on September 5, 2012 at 12:08 am