CSA Hot Cocoa Event | Photo by Bethany Althauser | The Wright State Guardian
As a first for the group, the Commuter Student Association held “Commuter Student Appreciation Week” with donuts, pizza, board games, cycling and more from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17.
Preparation and purpose
According to their page on Engage, the Commuter Student Association’s goals are to unite commuter students and provide services and opportunities for them to be engaged on campus and meet new people.
CSA as a club is dedicated to giving the voices of commuters more power on campus.
Selvin Bacon-Velasquez acts as the liaison between commuters and administration as the Student Government Association’s commuter senator, but he is also the CSA President.
As commuter senator, Bacon-Velasquez informs SGA on commuter issues and concerns. As CSA president, he provides a more engaging environment for commuters. Bacon-Velasquez provides a comprehensive community for commuter students, who make up most of WSU’s community.
“My goal is to build a more engaging environment for commuters. That's why we have events, and this whole week, Commuter Student Appreciation Week, is just a week dedicated to the community so they're praised for their hard work and dedication,” Bacon-Velasquez said.
Commuters often do not have the same involvement level and involvement opportunities as residential students do, and Commuter Student Appreciation Week seeks to at least partially remedy this issue.
“I was once in a position where I just came into classes and went back home, didn't really get engaged or involved on campus, so [CSA] could open up the doors when it comes to involvement so that commuters have a place to network and socialize and an organization they can call their own,” Bacon-Velasquez said.
Events
Nov. 13: Parking Lot Hosts
Students enjoyed free donuts and hot chocolate outside the Student Union from 9 to 11 a.m. on Monday.
Monday’s event produced a high turnout, so much so that the hot chocolate, donuts and ReyRey cafe drink vouchers went quickly.
Nov. 14: WSU Men’s Basketball Night
The WSU men’s basketball team hosted their first home game of the season against the University of Toledo on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CSA provided spirit wear and information about their organization to the attendees.
“It was crazy. It was just a whole bunch of fun. There were a lot of people in the student section that weren’t necessarily a part of CSA that were commuters that we were able to be connected with,” Austin Wolfe, a member of CSA, said.
Nov. 15: Pizza with DPS
From 12 to 2 p.m. in the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, CSA distributed pizza and refreshments to students while the WSU Department of Public Safety presented services that they offer.
“DPS has met every standard for the Ohio Collaborative Initiative for policies as it relates to Community Policing, Use of Force, Bias-Related Policing, Traffic Pursuits, Recruitment, and Wellness and body-worn cameras,” one slide from the DPS presentation read.
Nov. 16: Board Game Night
Students got together on Thursday evening in the Dunbar Library, enjoying the library’s wall of board games with light refreshments from 7 to 9 p.m.
Nov. 17: Indoor Cycling with Maria and Ian
In partnership with campus recreation, CSA Social Media Chair Maria Washler and Ian Gonzalez assisted in hosting an indoor cycling class to conclude the week. The theme for the class was the “Spiderman” soundtrack.
Bacon-Velasquez and Washler hope to continue Commuter Student Appreciation Week every semester or every year for the foreseeable future.
“I think starting that tradition and having it continue throughout the semester is gonna be super important to show that our biggest population is commuter students, and being able to show our appreciation that everyone is appreciated as a commuter student is important,” Washler said. “Also, it gets everyone to meet other students on campus and know how to get involved on campus and the events going on.”
CSA membership is currently open to any WSU commuter student. Readers can find their organization on Engage.
