Josh Mabry, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
Let me start by saying that as a first-year transfer student, I have enjoyed my experience at Berry so far. The students and professors are friendly and helpful, and the campus is beautiful.
I understand that most students at Berry are residential, but there are a handful of commuter students, like myself, that are often overlooked. Berry should consider being more commuter- friendly to better assist the needs of these students.
One thing that Berry could do to help commuter students would be to try to drop as many Friday classes as possible. Not having classes on Fridays is a schedule that some University System of Georgia colleges, like Georgia Highlands College, follow, and it works successfully.
To achieve this, all class periods would be made the same length. For example, Monday and Wednesday classes would be the same amount of time as Tuesday and Thursday classes, meaning there would be no Friday classes.
I realize that this would be impossible for all classes because of certain circumstances, however, it could work out nicely for most classes.
Not having classes on Fridays would better serve commuter students because it would save time and money on gas. Traveling to and from the school every day requires a lot more money and energy than other residential students may experience.
Even though the main group of people that this change would benefit would be commuters, I do not think residential students would complain about not having classes on Fridays either.
Another area where commuter students could feel more included is when a big event happens on campus. It seems that most events happen on the weekends or at night at Berry. It is fine to have the weekend and night events, but having a few during the day as well would make c o m m u t e r students feel more included.
It is hard for commuter students to come back to campus at night or on the weekends to attend the events that are held.
More areas for commuter students to relax and do homework on the main part of campus would also be beneficial. There are the library and the common areas outside and inside of Krannert, but most of the time, these areas are crowded at any point throughout the day.
It would be nice to have some tables in a quiet area that offers a beautiful view of the campus. This is not a concern for residential students because whenever they want to relax, they can simply go to their dorm room. However, for commuter students, having space to be able to relax and work would be great for those two-hour breaks between classes that many students have. It’s impractical to go home during those breaks, so there should be more places on campus designed for relaxing.
If Berry decided to adopt these ideas, the school would be more commuter friendly, and there could potentially be an increase in students from the Rome and northwest Georgia area that decide to attend the college.
