By Kayla Landers, Feb. 11, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona is known for its commuter-based student population, and although living off campus may have its perks, I know it to be socially detrimental.
This is not entirely the fault of other students. Instead, it’s CPP’s consistent failure to provide anything other than the bare minimum amount of effort into promoting social gatherings to commuter students, especially when this group of students, in my experience, typically has a harder time connecting to the school’s community. CPP should think about how to make the social experience of enrolled students more meaningful.
In a research study conducted by Fanny He at New York University, commuter students historically feel a sense of marginalization, and unless the school puts more effort into enhancing their social experience, they often don’t feel fully integrated into the institution.
Student-run clubs often organize these social events, however, there are difficulties they face while trying to promote them. It takes considerable time and effort for them to put up flyers and market their events, which, as students, they might not have.
They need help, and CPP should do more to support these organizations.
The university has a large platform they could use to advertise events, and in doing so, it would allow a larger magnitude of outreach, making it more likely for commuters to see what’s happening around campus.
It would be mutually beneficial for the student-run organizations and CPP to work together, because there is an increase in individuals joining the clubs, and as a result, commuting students would feel as if they have been socially integrated into the campus.
Without a stronger relationship between the school and student-run organizations, the events will continue to cater primarily to students who live on campus, rather than focusing on the larger part of CPP’s population.
I understand it’s important for students living on campus to find a sense of community, but I also believe it is equally important for commuter students to feel the same way. Otherwise, how are commuter students supposed to live out the full college experience?
At first, I blamed myself, figuring it was entirely my fault that I wasn’t putting myself out there socially, but then I realized that after countless attempts to find events while I was on campus, it wasn’t just me. It was bad marketing.
“I don’t hear too much about events unless I actively look for them,” said Hannah Perry, an English Education student.
Often, flyers and other marketing materials advertising these events are posted around dorms on campus, which is obviously not a usual location where commuter students spend their time.
“I just wish they would be posted more in classrooms or communal areas,” said Perry.
It would be highly beneficial for these flyers to be posted around classrooms, because it would ensure that a larger majority of students — especially commuters — would have the opportunity to view what’s happening around campus.
On top of this, the placement of these posters in buildings where classes are held is completely sporadic. This means you could walk through one building and the bulletin boards could be covered in flyers, and a building across the way could have absolutely none.
CPP also relies on emails and social media posts to try to reach students. However, this form of marketing also tends to fall short.
It would be instrumental for CPP to adopt a form of communication, such as mass texts, that commuter students could sign up for to hear the latest information about community-based events on campus.
Students are more likely to check text messages than scroll through countless social media posts or track down a single email hidden within tons of others.
There needs to be uniformity when it comes to marketing events for students, because without it, the outreach is lopsided, and commuter students will continue to have a harder time fitting in socially.
Feature image by Connor Lālea Hampton