The Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services has created the Commuter Assistant program to help make first-year commuters feel connected to the Iona campus.

Despite the many roles that the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services play, Michele Nelson, the director of the office, saw an opportunity for another new program. In spring 2015, the Commuter Assistant program was approved for funding as part of Iona’s Strategic Plan.

“I believe we will shed light on the commuter experience and continue to improve upon it in collaboration with what the Commuter Student Association has been doing for so many years,” said Nelson.

Along with the program came the opportunity for students to enter leadership positions.

There were eight CAs chosen out of thirty applicants: senior Harley Checo, sophomore Augustina Dimilta, senior Lauren Keller, sophomore Liz McNiff, sophomore Tom Mustac, junior Nina Ramos, senior Tom Scappaticci and junior Arlene Vivar.

The CAs primarily work with first-year commuter students. Each CA was assigned 40-43 first year commuter students based on where the students commute from.

When asked what made her want to become a CA, Vivar said, “I know how hard it was for me to get settled into Iona during my freshman year, and I want to help freshman fully enjoy their Iona experience from the very start.”

The CAs attended training similar to that of resident assistants, campus ministers and undergraduate programming assistants. This included Camp Gael, Diversity Training and other training sessions throughout the week of Nuts and Bolts.

“Through Camp Gael we found our place as leaders and learned the power of networking,” McNiff said. “We learned important skills such as time management, understanding all the resources Iona has to offer, and how to work effectively individually and as a group to achieve our goals.”

CAs are responsible for meeting and maintaining contact with their cohorts to both assist new first-year commuters with their transition to campus and to help connect these students to offices and resources they may require.

“We are relentless in our efforts to establish a sense of community and in the short time we have been working on campus we already have seen how important our work is,” said McNiff. “Long term, I believe our impact will be reflected in the overall continued improvements in the Iona commuter experience.”

Some other responsibilities CAs have include maintaining contact with an outreach office to help co-host and support campus initiatives, while also actively hosting programs and initiatives to help build relationships among first-year commuters. Other duties include working on collateral assignments such as the social media accounts, passive programming and publications.

“We look forward to seeing the overall impact of the Commuter Assistants on the first-year commuter experience with the assistance of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning,” said Nelson.

These collateral assignments all support the major outcomes for the pilot program.

The CAs participate in community hours, which allows them to visit commuters in public areas around campus. Their locations are posted outside the Office of Off-Campus Housing Services.

When asked what she felt the impact has been so far, McNiff said, “Presently, I think our impact can easily be seen through the interactions the Commuter Assistants have with their group of freshman. We are in constant communication whether it be through emails, walking through campus, or meeting at events like the Involvement Fair.”

The Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services is helping with the continued success of Iona’s commuters and students who live off-campus. Michele also included “I see great things for commuter life at Iona as we constantly strive to create centers for excellence for our students.”