CLAIRE C. LAURENCE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Political science freshman Scott Preller reads a magazine in the Commuter Lounge yesterday afternoon. Preller is the president of the Association of Commuter Students.

Breakfast available to commuting students Tuesday mornings

Weary travelers braving the morning commute from off-campus residences are encouraged to take advantage of a spread of free donuts and coffee in a heated commuter lounge.

This is all a part of the Good Morning Commuter breakfasts that are available for the more than 30,000 students who commute to campus every day.

Held every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the commuter lounge on the fourth floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, the breakfasts give students a place to escape the cold winter weather.

Tung Ly, an engineering junior, drives 25 minutes from his family home each day and then walks for 10 minutes just to get to class on time. He enjoys the services that Commuter Student Affairs offers as part of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

"It's very beneficial for students who don't live on campus," Ly said.

Each meal is sponsored by on-campus organizations such as Career Services and Campus Health or by off-campus groups, which are mostly apartment companies.

Contributors pay for food and connect students to resources such as future housing opportunities. The breakfasts, which started on the second day of school, draw an average of 65 to 70 students every week with about 30 new faces each time, said Jennifer Dingman, a graduate commuter assistant.

"A lot of students are happy because the breakfast shows we're thinking of them, and that they are appreciated," Dingman said.

"There are a bunch of regulars here," she added. "It provides a casual environment for interaction and for people to meet each other."

Gradually, students break out of their shells and open up to people, so the event helps to create a sense of community among students who live off-campus, Dingman said.

Scott Preller, a political science freshman, became president of the Association of Commuter Students simply by attending the breakfasts and getting to know other commuters and assistants.

Preller made a late decision to come to the UA and couldn't secure a room in a residence hall in time, so he went to the Commuter Student Affairs Office and found a place off-campus with the help of commuter assistants.

One day he rode his bike to school, checked e-mail in the commuter lounge, and noticed people setting up for the breakfast.

"I thought, hey, that's interesting, and after my 8 a.m. class I went back and joined in kind of by chance," Preller said.

A few weeks later, Dingman told Preller about ACS.

"Jen asked me if I wanted to be president, and I thought, ÎSure, why not?'" Preller said. "I had been looking for something to do and thought it would be pretty cool to be in a club."

He is now working on recruiting new members and getting the association organized.

Assistants in the Commuter Student Affairs Office organize and implement programs such as the breakfasts and housing advising.

"We facilitate a community atmosphere and give commuters a stronger connection to and pride in the campus so they don't just feel like a number," said John Reagan, an electrical engineering senior and commuter assistant.

"I can see the diminished amount of attention for off-campus students. Just because we don't live close by doesn't mean that our needs go away," he said.

Commuter assistants are like RAs for the entire campus. They are committed to working for the benefit of off-campus students, Dingman said.

Conrad Kiang, a communication senior, has to drive 10 minutes to get to the UA, and spends time in the commuter lounge about three times a week.

"It's kind of far sometimes. If I get up late, I decide not to come and miss class," Kiang said.

Having the commuter lounge provides a comfortable space that is fun, colorful, and equipped with TVs and computers for off-campus students to call their own, Dingman said.