This article, Commuters vs. Residents, is not meant to initiate any controversy, nor strengthen any previously held sentiments regarding the diverse population of Kean. Phenomena Uncovered is a space to recognize all Kean Students, because we all are either one or the other. We all experience Kean in ways unique to our own life and interests, but when it comes down to your living situation, there are certain characteristics that are exclusive to residential status. The other day when I was in class, I overheard one of my fellow classmates say “Where is the Cafeteria?” Being a resident student that frequents the cafeteria at least once a day, I could not believe how she had failed to acquire such a basic skill. Some days I will have been to The Cafeteria, The Den, The Marketplace, and if I am lucky the Ice Cream place. I would not be here today if I had not discovered the treasured destinations where I can get food and pay with a piece of plastic. This coveted piece of plastic decorated in nice KU blue and white, a picture of myself, and my scribbled John Hancock, is not a credit card. It is my meal card, my student ID, my library card, a book voucher for some, and for the resident students out there… our lifeline. Resident students cannot live without their ID card; we cannot enter our own residence hall, we cannot eat, bottom line, without this collegiate edition extra limb (student ID), we cease to exist. Please let me clarify, not all residents have meal cards, which leads me to believe that besides granting them access to the residence halls it serves no other purpose, therefore, the passion they feel regarding this glorious ID is pale in comparison to mine and other students with meal cards. I pity the individuals I see paying with cash, the extra seconds or minutes it takes to pay, I have pride in pulling out my meal card to pay for my food. Even though my debit card may only contain 17 cents, I can still rely on my meal card, my trusty Kean ID.
If you have gotten this far then you must either understand what I am talking about, or have no clue and are willing to learn. Let us continue to explore these together. The Commuter/Resident phenomena can baffle even the most scholarly individual. Take for example class tardiness. What reason does a resident have to be late to class? It takes no more than five minutes to walk from the resident halls to any particular academic building. Despite this nearly door-to-door situation, on occasion some resident students, including myself, walk in to class late. Commuters on the other hand are a different story – they should be late to class. The travel time for these non-resident students ranges from five minutes to two hours away and they still manage to make it on time.
Tardiness is only an introduction when it comes to a more perplexing trait of residents; choice of clothing. Commuter/Resident attire is clearly of concern; I hope I can be of assistance. I will not offer tips because I need them myself, but I will acknowledge the differences. First of all we have the Commuters that usually dress in more professional attire, casual outfits, and comfortable but presentable clothing. Residents on the other hand have a select few in professional attire, a few in casual outfits, more in comfortable but presentable, and even more in relaxed gear. The confusing situation that I am aware of, is that the less time you put into your clothes should mean that you are not late to class, but this is not necessarily the case.
According to sophomore resident student Monika Makarewicz, parking is still a concern for her even though she does not experience the hassle of commuting. This Psychology Major does not enjoy parking in the back of Vaughn Eames, especially when the lot is empty. Senior, Recreation Administration Major, Ridolphe Lormil says the issue he feels is most important as a commuter student is also parking. He is aware of the difference in dress between the two; his nicer dress is due to having a more professional job and being so close to his May 2005 graduation. Jean Paulino, freshmen Political Science Major, is a resident turned commuter student. Being on the other side of the fence has given him a different perspective of Kean. The first thing that comes to his mind is food prices; something he did not have to worry about as a resident student. Freshmen resident students are required to have a meal card of $1200, all other students are not required. Therefore students that choose meal cards do so for the convenience of not having to use cash, yet still experience the inconvenience of the high prices.
The truth is obvious, resident and commuter students experience a different side of Kean. Whether it is choice of clothes, parking experiences, living situations, traveling distance to class, ID cards, the list can go on. We do share common experiences that bypass our differences. I am not trying to preach, just sharing my experience. We are all here to get an education, learn about each other, make memories and to most importantly learn about ourselves. Let’s not allow our residential status to define our Kean experience.
