Whether it be to visit family and friends, or even to go to work, a large portion of Neumann’s residents leave campus each weekend.
Consequently, this has left Neumann labeled a “suitcase school.”
A suitcase school is any higher educational school that sees many of its residential students leave campus.
Many students and faculty believe this is the case for Neumann University.
Residents are the only population to be found on the campus on the weekends, and that is if they stay.
80% of first-year students reside on campus, many may feel isolated, being their first true time away from home.
Freshman Brian Ayres first-hand account is, “During the weekends [Neumann] feels very empty since most students do end up going home or other students just don’t leave their dorms.”
Commuter students are another side of this coin, they make up much of the student body but are faced with other problems such as transportation to get to campus being chief among them.
Senior and commuter Andrew Marshall stated “[I] rarely ever come here on the weekends. As someone who does commute, my weekdays are primarily spent here, as my schedule calls for me to be here for very extensive hours for both work and school[…] occasionally I do come down here on the weekends for events like the film festival and choir concert, and those align with my schedule just fine!”
Cole Betham, another commuter, stated that the biggest challenge to coming to campus on weekends “I just don’t feel like driving. If I plan on attending a meeting or an event, I’d prefer it to be between or after my classes during the week.”
What steps is Neumann University taking to change this?
According to statistics from Neumann’s Student Affairs, with 80% more programs being offered this semester than 2023, there has been an 85% increase in attendance at events.
This year Neumann has hired Quincy Turner, the graduate assistant for late night & weekend programming and advisor Knights Programming Board (KPB).
In his role he has been working to reinvigorate campus life during the off-hours such as the popular campus-wide manhunt event and the 2000s Glow Party.
Dean of Students, Dr. Sarah Williamson made the connection that events are “fantastic opportunities for students to build leadership skills and connect with others.”
Dr. Williamson is “incredibly proud of the growth we have seen over the past year and the Division of Student Affairs’ unwavering commitment to engaging our students. However, there is always room for improvement.”
