Students express frustrations with commuter lounge

The Commuter Lounge at Hofstra University was made to attract students who were either commuters or dormers, a place that may look like a hang out to some students but a jail cell to others. The Commuter Lounge was made for those who do not live on campus as a place to stay for as long as they like. Many students who dorm on campus look toward the lounge as a place to socialize with friends and get work done. However, with a shortage of proper furniture and resources for students, many have requested an upgrade. The Commuter Lounge is located on the south side of campus in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, past Conference Services and next to the Student Center Theater. It consists of white walls, blue carpeting, an A/C and heating vent, a window to look at the small little garden outside, green and blue sofa chairs, two wooden chairs with blue cushions, three small tables, a blue green ottoman, a flat screen TV and restrooms behind the wall where the flat screen TV is. Commuters Melissa Jimenez, Krisna Patel, Rebecca Santiago and dormer Jillian Salisbury Melissa Jimenez, a freshman Criminology major who commutes from East New York Brooklyn said, “The Commuter Lounge was a good idea to even have one but they could improve it by getting different chairs like the ones in the lounge where people can lay down, chill and have more tables.” Other students also feel as though the lounge is lacking quality. Krisna Patel, a junior majoring in Anthropology who commutes from Woodside, Queens said, “It’s too small. They could improve it by making it bigger and adding more couches and tables. I don’t like it that much. It’s not very appealing.” Rebecca Santiago, a junior majoring in Psychology who commutes from Bayside, Queens agreed. “There should be more comfortable chairs to relax in and a microwave to heat up my food without having to spend so much money buying food. The chairs look broken down and crappy. One chair is missing a leg stool. They should put up more posters for commuter students because the bulletin board doesn’t support its purpose. There should be a cell phone charging lab like the one in the computer lab because there are not a lot of outlets here,” Santiago said. Jillian Salisbury, a sophomore with a double major in Dance and Exercise Science who lives on campus, said, “The Commuter Lounge could be larger, and it could definitely have more outlets, spaces to sit and maybe even a few desks. I like the Commuter Lounge and I think it is in a fairly nice location that’s convenient for most people.” Director of Hofstra University’s Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services, Anita Ellis, is working on putting up more signs and flyers around the building for the Commuter Lounge, and is already looking into how much it costs to buy new furniture and more charging stations. The new furniture will be similar to the ones found in the Axinn library, and the charging stations will be universal for both iPhone and Android users. Ellis is looking into doing a survey through email for the commuter population so that the students can become more involved in how they can use their ideas to help improve the Commuter Lounge. Ellis claimed she is hoping to take on these improvements over the summer of 2017, but could not officially comment on to when they will be completed. “I want more students to know that I am part of the lounge to help work with you and to help you.” said Ellis.