Nestled on the far-end of the first floor in the Barone Campus Center, the commuter lounge, run by the commuter club, offers off-campus students a furnished area in which to socialize and relax.
“It’s a good hang out spot for people who don’t live on campus,” said Lisa Ortiz ’07, who commutes from West Haven.
“At least we have a place on campus where we can get to know other students,” Ortiz added.
The commuter lounge, which is equipped with lockers, couches, a Playstation 2 and television, not only provides a designated area for interaction among students, it also has its own club.
Timmy Khenmy ’05, commuter club president, said the club meetings, held on Wednesdays, focus on how to improve the lounge and explain how the yearly budget is going to be spent.
The money the commuter lounge itself receives each year for decorations, food and entertainment comes from the budget of commuter club.
The club has been very frugal and much of its budget goes unspent.
“Over the last several years, the club has not spent its allotment and the funds have rolled over to the following year,” said Duane Melzer, coordinator of off-campus students and advisor of the commuter club.
This year the club has nearly twice the funds it had last year.
“We had a budget of $9,000 at the start of the year. We receive $4,500 per year and had last year’s budget carry over to this year,” said Daniel Ross ’08, treasurer of the commuter club.
Although a considerable portion of the club’s budget is not spent, the club does spend money to purchase supplies for the lounge and the commuters who frequent it.
“Basically, we use the money for groceries that are available to all commuters who stop by the lounge,” said Khenmy.
The commuter club also plans to use its additional funds to sponsor student activities.
“We have decided to use our surplus to sponsor activities and events that encourage commuter interaction with the rest of the student body,” said Ross.
“We co-sponsored the Chinese New Year celebration with the Asian Student Association and threw a Super Bowl party,” Ross added.
How does the club plan to use the rest of its budget this year?
“We plan to purchase a bigger TV and perhaps plan a trip to Six Flags in the spring after finals and/or a dance,” said Khenmy.
Along with making purchases for lounge and funding activities, the club looks to make its presence known on campus.
“One of our main goals as a club is to let the rest of the student body know that we can contribute to campus life as well, even though we don’t live here,” said Ross.
“Basically, we want to let others know that we are here and that we are an interesting group of people,” Ross added.
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