A university ought to be something more than a collection of buildings where classes are held. Idealistically, the university should be a community of individuals who are all seeking an education. Things don’t always live up to the ideal.
More often than not, we seem like a collection of individuals seeking a party. As students, we should ask ourselves, “Who pays the price for a weak university?”
Part of ETSU’s problem is that it is two-thirds commuter campus and one-third residential campus. There is nothing wrong with a commuter campus that knows it is a commuter campus. A campus that tries to be both faces some problems.
A university in that situation would better serve its own interests by establishing programs to aid and encourage commuter students rather than build multi-million-dollar dormitories. For the residential population that lives on campus, a large commuter population brings certain implications.
First off, the Culp Center’s hours seem to be tailored to the schedule of the bulk of the students. The Atrium, which has the best food in the Culp Center, closes at 4 p.m. The peak hours for classes have passed by that time, and the parking lots are emptying.
But, what about the student left on campus? What about the kid that goes home to the dorm? Heaven forbid, but what happens if a student doesn’t happen to have a car?
Yes, logistically, it makes sense to close up shop during hours where there aren’t many patrons rattling around. This puts the residents at a disadvantage. The hours of operation on campus are determined by the students that are there for the fewest hours of the day.
The hours that the library keeps are occasionally a source of discontent for the residential student. This is a dangerous statement to makes because the library is staffed by student workers, who undoubtedly deserve to spend their nights where ever they please.
The library, even though it has flaws, is one of the most ideal places to study. Occasionally, the residential student wishes for an extra hour or two of library time.
Perhaps if more people lived on campus to make use of the library during the night, it would stay open longer.
Few services are provided on campus. Once upon a time, there was a barber/beauty shop on campus. Once, there was an arts and crafts store in the Culp Center. We do benefit from an excellent clinic and dental hygienist program. The residential student wonders, from time to time, how many other services might be offered on campus if more people lived on campus to be served.
The campus community, an integral part of the university, suffers from the problems described above. The problem is not necessarily older dormitories or dormitories with communal bathrooms.
It doesn’t matter how many new dorms are built if no one wants to live on campus.

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