The commuter student population at Saint Louis University has been a nearly invisible force on campus. The organization that was created to represent the needs, interests and desires of the commuter population, the Commuter Student Association, has been just as invisible.

One issue that brought the association and all commuters out in force was the parking rate increase. The CSA, under the umbrella of the Student Government Association, was involved in addressing the increase but with little exposure or publicity.

Following a reorganization, the CSA is working this year to carve out a greater sphere of influence over the activities and facilities at SLU.

“Unfortunately, commuter students, although a majority on campus, are often overlooked,” stated new CSA President Erika Williams. “As a result, many commuters feel that SLU is not concerned with their needs. The CSA will strive to turn that around.”

The CSA has been distributing a survey, which is also available on their web site, in order to get a better idea of who the commuter students are, and what kind of changes they would like to see.

“Unfortunately, this is a busy time of the semester,” said Rich Bergin, CSA vice-president for campus affairs, “so we have not had many [surveys] returned.”

Even before the surveys went out, the CSA had some ideas for making SLU a more commuter-friendly campus.

“We are working on a commuter meal plan and flex,” said Bergin. “Maybe three meals a week or so. There are many commuter students who eat here on campus.”

Bergin also commented that a lot of commuter students would like to be able to use flex as well.

Another complaint from commuters, said Bergin, is that commuter students must leave their ID’s at the desk when visiting someone in a Residence Hall. In addition, the inconvenience of having an escort.

“We are talking to Residence Life about creating contracts for commuter students,” said Bergin.

The contracts, said Bergin, would allow commuter students to have the same access to the Residence Halls that campus residents have. Bergin explained that the check-in process helps to locate those responsible for damage in the residence halls.

CSA is also interested in setting up a social area for commuters in the ground floor of Clemens hall, behind the space the C-Store currently occupies.

While a commuter lounge already exists, said Bergin, this would be a more social area. He explained that many of the students in the commuter lounge are studying or napping, so it is not an ideal social location. This way, commuter students would have a place to socialize and not have to worry about disturbing students who are studying.

The CSA already has plans for installing lockers in the Clemens ground floor so commuters will have a place to store their things while they are on campus. The CSA is also looking into installing a television and stereo as well.

The CSA mission statement states that, “We were founded to intensify the voices of commuter students, ensuring that their issues are heard and needs attended to, enabling commuters to have the best college experience possible.”

With the reorganization of the CSA and the initiative it has shown so far, the CSA is aiming to become a greater and more visible organization on campus.