COMMUTER CONNECTIONS

Photo: LIRR TrainThe Office of Commuter Student Services

As a part of the Division of Student Life, the Office of Commuter Student Services is dedicated to helping you, the commuter student, become "connected" to Stony Brook's faculty, staff, and students. As facilitators and advocates for commuters, if we can't answer your question, we'll point you in the right direction. Stop in and pay us a visit. We're centrally located in Suite 222 of the Student Activities Center, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended office hours by appointment.

For more info, visit us online, e-mail us, or call (631) 632-7353.

Among the programs and services the Office of Commuter Student Services provides are:

  • The publication of an online commuter newsletter The Roads Scholar.
  • The Commuter Connection, an informal morning information session where you can enjoy coffee and dialogue with other commuter students, faculty, and staff.
  • The Commuter Assistant Program.
  • Workshops on topics that range from car maintenance to stress management.
  • Receptions and activities designed to foster your interaction with faculty and staff, including the Academic Achievement Reception and Pride Patrol Teams.
  • The Commuter Fall Festival and Commuter Spring Festival.
  • A distribution center, in the Commuter Commons, where you can pick up LIRR schedules, parking maps, and campus brochures.

Learn The Ropes…Get a Commuter Assistant!
The Commuter Assistant Program pairs incoming commuter students with "seasoned" commuter students who provide support, advice, and camaraderie during the new students' first year. Commuter Assistants (CAs) work hard to ensure that new commuter students adjust to life at Stony Brook University and have positive and constructive college experiences. If you are interested in getting a Commuter Assistant, please visit our Web site for more information.

What Can You Expect from the Commuter Assistant Program?

  • Ideas and insight on how to adjust to a new, larger, and more complex environment.
  • Advice and tips on "commuter success" issues such as parking, registration, where to eat, how and where to meet other students, etc.
  • Knowledge of campus opportunities and University resources.
  • Increased awareness of student life, clubs, organizations, and activities.
  • Academic guidance from a peer, including knowledge of important requirements and deadlines.
  • Introduction to faculty, staff, and peers.
  • Opportunities to build friends and extend social and support systems.
  • Support and guidance from the Office of Commuter Student Services.

Outreach to Commuter Students
The Office of Commuter Student Services (CSS) uses various means to reach commuter students including: flyers posted in campus buildings and bus shelters, Parking Lot Outreach Days, the commuter newsletter, the Internet, email lists including Commuter Contact and the Student Life Listserv, Blackboard, and Statesman ads. So keep your eyes and ears open!

The Commuter Student Services Advisor serves as the Program Advisor for the Commuter Student Association and looks forward to helping you get involved in campus life!

Commuter Student Association (CSA)
The Commuter Student Association is for commuters who are looking to get involved and make things happen. The CSA is a student organization that represents the interests and needs of commuter students at Stony Brook University. It is the goal of the CSA to help the commuter student become an integral part of the campus community. The CSA manages a budget and plans programs and events throughout the year. The CSA also helps coordinate events to bring commuters and residents together, lobbies on behalf of commuter students with the administrators, and represents commuters in our student government’s legislative branch. Any undergraduate commuter student at Stony Brook University can be an active member! Their office is conveniently located in the Commuter Commons, Room 145 of the Student Activities Center. For more information, call (631) 632-6456.

E-Mail and Computing for Commuters
To set up your free e-mail account, stop by the student SINC sites in the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, Room S-1460, or in the lower level of the Stony Brook Union. Please note that you will have the opportunity to set up your account during your Placement/Academic Advising/Enrollment Session. See Getting Online for more details on computing at Stony Brook.

Meal Plans and Dining Options
You will find a number of convenient places to eat close to the academic buildings. The Student Activities Center Food Court is right in the center of campus on the Academic Mall. The Stony Brook Union offers the Union Commons, the Union Deli, Wolfie’s Restaurant, and Delancey Street, a Glatt Kosher Delicatessen.

There are three meal plans available to commuter students that offer the benefit of saving the sales tax on every food purchase. The commuter meal plans can be used at any authorized dining location on campus. For more information, please call the Meal Plan Office at (631) 632-6517 or visit www.campusdining.org/commuter.php.

Commuter Student Lockers
If you need a place to store your books, bags, etc., lockers are available for a nominal fee in the Commuter Student Study Center on the first floor of the Melville Library, the bottom floor of the Student Activities Center, and the bottom floor of the Stony Brook Union. To rent a locker in the Library or SB Union, visit Room 250 in the Stony Brook Union or call the Meal Plan Office at (631) 632-6517 for more information. To rent a locker in the Student Activities Center, visit the Seawolves Market in the SAC Lobby.

Commuter Commons
Commuter Commons is a bi-level lounge located in Room 144 of the Student Activities Center. The upper level is a multipurpose area for studying and hanging out with friends. The lower level, newly renovated by the Commuter Student Association, is a great place to relax, play a game of pool or foosball, or sit down on a comfortable couch and watch your favorite show on the large-screen television. The necessary equipment for each game table, as well as board games, are available to borrow for free at the Information Desk located in the SAC Lobby. Just bring your Student ID card!

Commuter Student Study Center
The Commuter Student Study Center on the first floor of the Melville Library, is a popular meeting place for commuters who gather for informal study groups, visit with friends, or grab a snack between classes.

Commuter Parking
If you park on campus, your vehicle must have a valid parking permit (see the Parking and Transportation page for details). Commuters may park in the North P lot, South P lot, and the commuter lot on Gym Road, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. After 4:00 p.m., commuters may park in any unrestricted lot or space.

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