Traveling to and from campus isn’t always easy, especially during rigorous climates. Erie, PA is known for its harsh winters, averaging 102 inches of snowfall per year. Other factors such as temperature and rainfall make it difficult for students to attend class, particularly who commute. Commuters make up the majority of Penn State Behrend’s campus and their conflicts vary from students who live on-campus.

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One of the struggles students face is finding the motivation to get up early for class. The process of getting ready and driving to campus can also be challenging. Junior Animal Science major, Alyssa McElhinney, explains the issues that she faces as a commuter.

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“It is an inconvenience for me since I live all the way on the other side of town. It at least takes me at least twenty minutes to get to school. When winter comes around, the weather gets so bad that it takes me twice as long to get here. I would have to get up earlier than usual just to be on time,” she revealed.  

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The long journey to campus as well as the poor weather conditions both causes to McElhinney’s problem. She sacrifices her sleep to get up early in order to make it to class on time.  

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Students also have to factor in the time it takes to clear their driveway and car of snow.

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Another issue that students face is the road conditions when driving on the way to/from class. Junior International Business major, Melissa Merdanovic, felt it was tough to get to class on time due to the winter weather.

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“Driving to class and being on time was always worrisome because of the terrible road conditions and traffic,” she said.

“It started to take a toll on my grades once professors started docking points for me being late.”

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The winter’s severe weather leaves the road in poor condition and traffic which causes Merdanovic to be late for class. Meanwhile, her grades are affected by her tardiness.

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Students also worry if their roads will be plowed in time for their early morning classes. Some roads do not get plowed until mid-morning or later and causes students to be late from something out of their control.

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However, the snow covering up the roads this past winter was not the only concern for commuter students. Parking has mainly become a substantial topic for those at Behrend. Junior Mechanical Engineering major, Karam Ghazalah, admits that parking was the biggest problem being a commuter.

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“It is hard to find a spot in the parking lot, especially during the winter time. All the spaces get taken up way too fast, plus it is far walk to get to class.”

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Ghazalah suggested that the Penn State should build more parking spaces for the commuter students. That way it would be more convenient when traveling to and from class.

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Commuter students all have issues that they face on a daily basis, especially during Erie’s cold winters. Whether it is the struggle of getting ready and getting to class on time or being able to find a parking space in the lot, they go through endeavors in order maintain their education.