Many commuter students at the University of Minnesota face unique challenges, including traffic, parking, meals and expenses, which can make it difficult for them to become fully involved on campus. 

One resource on campus meant to alleviate some of these issues is the Commuter Connection Zone located on the second floor of Coffman Union. The Zone is a lounge specifically for commuter students to use as a place to study, de-stress and socialize with others.

“When you’re a commuter, you don’t get to have a space necessarily to vibe between your classes,” says Hady Kotifani, one of the student officers in charge of the Zone. “So the Commuter Connection room, I think, offers a space for students to just exist between their classes but also forming a better bond with a community on campus.”

Students such as Radwan Abdalla, who is also an officer for the Commuter Connection Zone, said it can be difficult for them to participate in extracurricular activities or University events when they do not live near campus.

“There’s only certain things I can do on certain days,” said Abdalla when discussing his involvement with the University’s motor sports team. “It’s about an hour drive and then paying for parking here too. I just don’t want to deal with that so I kind of miss half the experience.”

Besides its use as a social lounge for off-campus students to meet and hang out, the Commuter Connection Zone also has practical uses.

Abdalla said that many students use the Zone as a convenient place to store, cook and eat light meals and snacks.

In addition, Kotifani said many commuters bring in food to save money. The Commuter Zone offers a space for such students to safely store their food in a place where officers will watch it to ensure it is not stolen.

Some of the Zone’s amenities include a fridge, microwave, toaster, water cooler and ice machine. Students can also access the Zone’s pantry, which contains quick snacks like ramen noodles if they are unable to bring their own food. 

Even with the amenities the Zone currently has, there are still things that students like commuter Eliza Tijani think the Zone could benefit from, such as a larger space and additional cooking appliances.

Tijani also said that other commuter students could benefit from the university advertising the Zone and the Commuter Connections resources more.

“I found out about the Zone by happenstance,” said Mascuud Ali, another frequent user. “I walked by and I saw the people. I would have not known about it if I didn’t walk by it.”

All students who are not living directly on campus are welcome to use the Zone and its amenities if needed. The Zone is open Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.