Are we becoming a less commuter school ?

[Valpo Zip]

Through a connection with the Office of International Programs at the University, i do some volunteer work to help newcoming international students get settled. Amongst the things i do is to help them find walking-distance housing around the university.I have been doing that job for the last 4 years... this is the first time i hear a landlord saying: "Sorry, we are rented out." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me ? If you walk around campus in Sumner, sherman, grant, caroll, buchtel, brown etc... you name it, students are all over the place more than ever. I think that the university area is attracting more students compared with other years... I don't know if the area has improved or the campus or may be it is only because of the gas prices but i am hoping that if the dorms house 3,500 students and if another 3,500 live within a walking distance, the campus should be more alive which should reflect on the student participation in the athletic events...Let's hope.

[ZachTheZip]

The problem with living within walking distance of campus it that it is not ON campus and still ia technically "commuting". That works against the University's stats. However, if those students are constantly participating in University sponsored events or just hanging out on campus, it makes the atmosphere less like a commuter school, which is good for Akron when they recruit new students or have important ($$$) people tour the campus.

[Buckzip]

No. We will always be a commuter school. There is nothing wrong with that either.

[Zips fan]

The campus is definitely becoming less of a commuter school and that is a good thing. There is a waiting list for the dorm space and off campus housing is becoming more difficult to find. The school is building more dorm space (in front of Gallucci) and is included in some of the stadium designs. The atmosphere on campus is better with a higher percentage of students living on campus. If you want to see the difference between a true commuter school and our campus, walk around Cleveland State's campus and then our campus. Our campus is alive during the week but still needs to be able retain students during the weekends.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

Sorry, the reality is that being perceived as a "commuter school" is a real academic and athletic stigma-- one the U should work hard to mitigate while not walking away from the urban mission that makes it unique. I would say that a little under 1/2 of UA students, grad and undergrad, live on or near campus-- which means UA is not a commuter school in the classic sense. I think of YSU, CSU, Wright State, etc. as true commuter schools while UA is a hybrid.

[zipdad]

Our family just visited our son on campus for the first time this past week end and really enjoyed the campus. He is a freshman on the football team and is really enjoying his time with Coach Fleming and the staff. My wife and I both graduated from Muskingum so to us the Akron campus is pretty big. Everything looks new which is one of the reasons why our boy chose Akron.

[Ryno aka Menace]

I left AU campus in 96 and from then to now, there is definately more people on campus "hanging out" And I was looking at purchasing some rental property in the area and no luck so I would have to agree with the hybrid statement metioned earlier.

[zen]

Our family just visited our son on campus for the first time this past week end and really enjoyed the campus.  He is a freshman on the football team and is really enjoying his time with Coach Fleming and the staff.  My wife and I both graduated from Muskingum so to us the Akron campus is pretty big.  Everything looks new which is one of the reasons why our boy chose Akron.

Everything looked new?It definately wasn't always that way. In fact, this is avery recent phenomenon.When I was in high school, the UA campus was a bunch of buildings dispersed around city streets. They closed off Buchtel, but there was still a street running straight through campus (right next to the library, where the commons are now), even if cars were not driving on it, and there were wooden barricades.By the time I got there, the commons were in stalled (in most places), Buchtel was re-routed, but it still felt like an urban school with old buildings and a commuter atmosphere.After I left, "The Landscape for Learning" went into action.This has made a HUGE change in the atmosphere of the campus. Everything doesn't feel so gothic and dirty anymore. It really does feel like a nice university campus, and I think that they should do MORE along these lines to continue to grow.For one, I really hope they use the Central Hower Property to put in a complex of large dormitories. That would also go a long way to bringing students on to campus as well as modernizing campus life for those who stay there.

[ZachTheZip]

For one, I really hope they use the Central Hower Property to put in a complex of large dormitories. That would also go a long way to bringing students on to campus as well as modernizing campus life for those who stay there.

That is a brilliant idea! :bow::bow: I hope it comes true. We could always use a few more new shiny buildings to add to our growing collection.