By Logan Loewenstein
Commuter students at the University of Maryland are ready to have a reason to travel to campus again.
Students who ride the bus, take the Metro or drive themselves have felt less inclined to come to College Park this semester due to limited in-person classes and campus life. The ongoing pandemic protocols have swayed students from spending time, effort and money to come to campus for only a few hours.
“I normally spend about $25 every week just for the Metro,” said Anh Nguyen, a junior government and political science major from Washington. “That’s why I haven’t come down to campus because I only ride it when I have to.”
Commuters who take the Metro often have to switch lines to reach the stops closest to UMD. From there, university shuttles can take them to bus stops around campus. For Nyugen, the journey usually takes over an hour.
Students who drive to College Park can have a lengthy trek like the Metro riders, but have also faced different problems this semester. A large amount of construction scattered all the way from Baltimore Avenue to the South Campus entrance can add an extra 20 minutes to commuters coming off of the beltway, students said.
“After all that usual traffic on I-495, the worst part is definitely the lane closures on Route 1,” said Nikola Susic, a junior physiology and neurobiology student who commutes from Germantown. “You never know how long you’ll be sitting on the road closest to campus.”
Commuters must plan their days thoroughly to ensure that they can make it to their classes on time. Many of them check apps in the mornings to see what the traffic is like and when they need to depart. If the weather looks dangerous or if they did not get enough sleep they must decide if it is a worthwhile drive.
They also have to plan where they will park, how long the walk is from their car, the length of time they have on the parking meter and many other things that students living on campus do not have to think about.
For most commuter students who have only one or two in-person classes, a $325 semester-long parking pass seems too expensive to get such little use. Fifteen daily parking permits cost a steep $180, too. At the risk of getting ticketed or towed, commuters pay around $10 to get a spot on campus for a single day.
UMD discouraged traveling to and from campus after Thanksgiving break this past year to lower the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. Still, some students have in-person classes that, while optional, are much more valuable when they are present in the classroom.
“I didn’t know how to use a camera and one of my only in-person classes this year was a photography course,” said Ashkar Motamedi, a graduate journalism student from Centreville, Virginia. “So while it’s a long drive to come just for that, it is worthwhile to be a part of an actual class discussion with hands-on instruction.”
Most class instruction is expected to be in person next semester, according to latest updates from the university, and commuter students are excited to spend more time on campus. They said they are tired of staying home, and they miss the feeling of being a true college student.
“Generally, commuting is convenient,” Susic said. “If I have four or five classes and then go conduct my research for the school, chances are I am there from the morning to the late afternoon, and that’s more than adequate for a 45-minute commute.”
Commuters are also looking forward to the end of the construction projects on Baltimore Avenue to save them time on their drive. Purple Line construction will be completed in the coming years and will make riding the Metro to and from campus much easier.
Students say the new train that stops out front of Stamp Student Union would bring in many more commuters from the city. The extra time they can save allows them to get food, rest or just take the long way around McKeldin Mall to class.
“Of course I miss my commute on the Metro,” Nguyen said. “Where else can you hop on a train, take a nap for half an hour and wake up a few blocks away from your college?”
Featured image: The South Campus entrance on Regents Drive is the site of traffic-causing construction. Photo by Logan Loewenstein.