At UIC, commuter students have a place just for them

UIC students who live in residence halls on campus can join Living Learning Communitiesto find academic support, community programs and a sense of belonging.

Still, many UIC students commute. So when Nehemiah Chung learned about the success of the residential communities, he thought of the students he meets every day. Chung is the director of student transitions and engagement and commuter student advocacy, which includes the Commuter Student Resource Center, visited by almost 5,000 students annually.

The center, tucked into the second floor of Student Center East, is a place where commuting students can not only land for a spell between classes but also get academic support and their own sense of community on campus. There are two rooms for quiet studying, plus a larger space where students can connect with other students or take a break between classes. They can store their meals in refrigerators in the adjacent kitchen and heat them up in communal microwaves. The Commuter Student Resource Center becomes a home away from home for students traveling back and forth to campus.

Last fall, Chung launched the Commuter Learning Community, modeled after the residential communities, for students who live off campus. Similar to the Living Learning Communities, mentors from the Commuter Learning Communities serve as peer support specialists to help commuter students with everything from finding on- and off-campus resources to locating their classes.

Gaeun Lee, a fourth-year computer science student from the College of Engineering, was a mentor in the Commuter Learning Community pilot program. Now she's the coordinator.

"We wanted to give students a sense of belonging or someone they could reach out to at the very start of classes," Lee said. "We have GroupMe chats where the students can ask any questions they have with their transition to UIC as a commuter student. They have their assigned mentors so they can ask questions from day one."

Connection is the secret sauce

Two years ago, UIC surveyed 2,000 commuting students, and a need rose to the surface - a need Chung has aimed to answer with the Commuter Learning Community.

"The highlight was, 'I feel loneliness, I feel isolation. I drive an hour and a half or take Metra for an hour. I don't talk to anyone,'" Chung said. "So we tried to foster that interaction here."

The Commuter Learning Community pairs first-year, transfer and adult learners with peer mentors, many of whom are commuters themselves. Students are grouped by ZIP code to encourage local connections.

UIC student Kiaree Henley uses one of the microwaves at the Commuter Student Resource Center. (Photo: Martin Hernandez/UIC) A student enters one of the new quiet study booths available at UIC's Commuter Student Resource Center.
(Photo: Mike Fan/UIC) Quiet study booths are available at UIC's Commuter Student Resource Center for students to do interviews, take virtual classes and more. (Photo: Mike Fan/UIC)

Among students in the community this year, there are three groups of first-year undergraduate students, five groups of transfer students and one group of adult learners, each led by mentors who have experience as first-year, transfer and adult learners at UIC.

In addition to virtual chats and in-person meet-ups, the mentors host weekly sessions at the Commuter Center on topics like time management, academic success and career readiness.

Derrita Anaafi, a junior studying accounting in the College of Business Administration, said she found the Commuter Center during orientation week. She was there so often, she jumped at the chance to join the Commuter Learning Community as a mentor.

"Students have a lot of questions about parking, how to stay involved on campus," Anaafi said. "I try to make them feel like they're finding a community, because it could be hard as commuters."

Success after pilot program

The first group of participants in the Commuter Learning Community were surveyed about whether the program should continue. The response was an overwhelming yes.

Chung said 92% of those participants said they felt a sense of belonging at UIC and 100% recommended continuing the program.

"Around 90% of students from that pilot program said, 'I have someone that I made a connection to here at UIC,'" he said. "That goes back to the sense of belonging, and are we making those connections early on to help them persist and be retained?"

Now the learning community has grown to serve 115 students. There are plans to expand and reach more commuter subgroups, including student parents and professional students.

"If you feel like, 'I'm a commuter, I'm a little hesitant, I don't know if I can be successful,' this program is for you," Chung said. "Let's get you connected."

UIC's Commuter Student Resource Center is on the second floor of Student Center East. (Photo: Martin Hernandez/UIC) The student-parent study room at UIC's Commuter Student Resource Center in Student Center East includes a cubby, a whiteboard to draw on and toys for young children. (Photo: Hillary Bird/UIC)

By the numbers

91.4% of UIC students commute to campus.

29% of users in the first month of the school year were first-year students; 26% were fourth-year students.

4,918 students visited the center in 2024-25.

3 microwaves, plus 1 vegan-designated microwave.

2 refrigerators and 1 freezer to store meals during the day.

Fast facts

• The Commuter Student Resource Center is in the previous home of UIC's racquetball courts, back when the university's recreation facilities were located in Student Center East.
• The Commuter Student Resource Center has two spaces for quiet study: a conference room and a family study room for mothers with children.
• Last summer, the center added six soundproof booths students can use for up to two hours to take online classes, hold job interviews or study.
• For the first 15 weeks of the school year, ending just before final exams in December, the Commuter Student Resource Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary with 15 giveaways. Students can enter to win UIC gear and swag. You can find details each week about how to enter a giveaway on the commuter center's Instagram page: @uiccocl.
• The center received a grant three years ago for sustainable kitchenware. Instead of using disposable utensils in the kitchen, students now get reusable cutlery when they register to use the Commuter Student Resource Center services.