This letter is in reference to the article “A Campus Grieves,” which was followed by an editorial on page 6 in the October 29, 2007 issue. I am dearly saddened by the loss of Adam Whitehead, who I understand was a happy and friendly man that loved to interact with students. But what upsets me more than the death of Adam Whitehead, was the fact that I was never able to be positively influenced by him, as so many others have, since I am a commuter.
I am a senior this year and I have gone to UT for about two years. I have always been a commuter and I have never had a meal provided for me by Sodexho, since I do not live on campus, which means I do not have a meal plan. So when I would like to eat in the cafeteria, I have to pay cash and full price, which is the same amount that a non-student visitor would pay. I think that commuter students should receive a discount on meals eaten in the cafeteria, or commuters should have the option of pre-purchasing a meal plan and pay for it when they pay for tuition, just as residential students do.
The commuter lounge in some cases feels like a holding cell for commuters until their next class starts, and usually commuters engage in quiet activities anyway. So by making it more attractive economically for commuters to eat in the cafeteria it would not only prevent our cars from permanently smelling like french fries, but it would also give us the social interaction with other students that we all need.
Commuters would like to feel at home as well and we would like to exercise the same rights that the residential students do. A good start would be by making the cafeteria more accessible to commuters. I understand that a majority of students live residentially, but enough students commute that think that this change is possible.
