Getting involved on campus and establishing community are staples of success for a college student, but for freshman commuters, these goals aren't a top priority.
Mitch Isaacs, associate director of the Office of Student Life, and various freshman advisers are hoping to turn that around by revamping the Commuter Ambassador program for next year.
Hannah Severtson, a graduate student in Student Affairs, said the program was about providing resources and connecting with students.
"I think they're a student population that can oftentimes be overlooked," she said. "Ball State is very much a residential campus, but commuter students are here."
The Commuter Ambassador program is meant to keep commuter students involved and intersted in campus events.
Last year, there was a 5 percent margin between retention rates for freshmen living on and off campus. The retention rate for commuting freshman was 89 percent, and the retention rate for freshmen living in the dorms was 94 percent.
As Isaacs and various freshman advisers started developing the program, they considered what qualities the residence halls have that commuter students don't. Community, they decided, was the answer.
"In a community, they're more likely to stay here and be successful," he said.
The program began last year with six student ambassadors acting as mentors for about 300 freshman commuters. Their role, Isaacs said, is similar to the role of a resident assistants in regards to encouraging students to get involved on campus.
Senior Austin Bontrager was an ambassador last year. He said there were some students who got a lot out of it and others who didn't. It's all up the students, he said.
Bontrager said there was one students he had lunch with two or three times a week.
"He didn't hang out with anyone else," Bontrager said. "Who knows how long he'll stay here."
The Commuter Ambassadors program only lasts through the fall semester.
"I think that's enough time," Bontrager said. "There's a point where you have to just get out there and figure it out."
Since the Freshman Connection program began, there has been a team for freshman commuters with programs and events. The problem, Isaacs said, is students don't have time to be involved.
Jim Mills, freshman adviser who helped lead the program last year, said the end results were positive despite less than full participation.
"They've got such a rigid schedule because a good number of them have jobs," he said. "Certainly they're only available at certain times throughout the day."
Isaacs said they're hoping to attract more freshman commuters to the program this year in three ways: by giving ambassadors meal cards to take commuter students out to lunch or dinner, by continuing the off-campus dinner at the end of the year and by revamping the Commuting 101 program, a discussion specific to commuter students.
Information about Commuter Ambassadors will be crammed into a 20-minute discussion for commuters during Welcome Week, which also includes information about parking and dining.
"We're given five minutes at orientation, which really isn't very much," Isaacs said.
During Welcome Week, students often go to events in groups, sometimes led by a resident assistant. Isaacs said he hopes being part of a community from the beginning will encourage freshman commuters to attend these events together as a group.
There are four Commuter Ambassador positions available for the next school year.
Students interested should contact the Office of Student Life. They will be paid minimum wage for up to eight hours a week, plus more during Welcome Week.
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