A HARD SHUFFLE TO GET IT ALL DONE - Challenges Faced by Commuter Students in Historically White Sororities and Fraternities

Oct 15, 2026

Commuter students face multiple constraints, and the way these constraints shape the lived experience of those joining sororities and fraternities has been underexplored. This study examines commuters’ challenges, the strategies used by participants to address them, and how chapter and national organization policies and practices shape outcomes. Evidence comes from interviews with eight alumni of historically White sororities and fraternities who attended primarily commuter institutions. Findings indicate common commuting challenges, diverse coping strategies, and organizational policy effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Commuter Students

Commuter definitions and demographics

Co-curricular involvement and belonging

Commuter Student Challenges

Transportation, work, and time constraints

Institutional design and program barriers

Commuter Students in Sororities and Fraternities

Prior research and retention outcomes

“A HARD SHUFFLE TO GET IT ALL DONE”: CHALLENGES FACED BY COMMUTER STUDENTS IN HISTORICALLY WHITE SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES Michael D. Giacalone Independent Scholar Abstract Commuter students face a number of challenges, yet how they influence the experience of those who join sororities and fraternities is unknown. The purpose of this study is to explore those challenges, the strategies participants used to overcome them, and how policies and practices influenced their experience through interviews with eight alumni of historically White sororities and fraternities (HWSFs) that attended primarily commuter institutions. The findings suggest the participants in this study had many“typical” challenges associated with commuting, employed a variety of strategies to overcome those challenges, and were affected by chapter and national organization policies and practices over those at the campus level. Keywords: commuter students, fraternity, sorority Please direct inquires about this manuscript to: Michael Giacalone, [michael.giacalone@gmail.com](michael.giacalone@gmail.com); Author would like to thank the AFA Foundation for a research grant which supported this project. College Student Affairs Journal, Volume 40(2), pp. 136-150 ISSN 2381-2338 Copyright 2022 Southern Association for College Student Affairs All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 137 College Student Affairs Journal Vol. 40, No. 3, 2022 Commuter Students Commuter students are typically defined as students who do not live in housing owned or con- trolled by their institution (Jacoby, 2000) . Compared to residential students, they are more likely to be older, students of color, first-generation, and transfer students (Graham et al., 2018) . According to the NCES (2019), over 75% of students who attend public institutions are considered commuters. Jacoby described the inaccurate stereotype of commuter students as low-achieving “townies”due to a history of lower admittance standards. The reality is that they are active students who are comparably engaged academically as their residential peers (Graham et al., 2018) . In addition to academic engagement, at least some commuter students are interested in, and benefit from, co-curricular involvement (Clay, 2016; Holloway-Friesen, 2018; Kirk & Lewis, 2015; Manley Lima, 2014). Manley Lima and Holloway-Friesen, for example, found that commuter students developed a sense of belonging from a variety of involvement activities, including student organization leadership and membership. Their findings suggest that commuter students are able to feel like they belong, even though they may not have as much time to spend on campus. Clay (2016), however, found that commuter students may wait until late in their first semester to engage in co-curricular activities so that they can learn to balance their new academic responsibilities with their other responsibilities aside from college first. Commuter Student Challenges The scholarship for commuter students has consistently identified a number of challenges. Transportation can be challenging because of the time it takes to get to campus, the costs and time associated with car maintenance, and navigating traffic (Burlison, 2015), and it can be exacerbated by the need to take public transportation (Weiss, 2014) . Gefen and Fish (2013) found that 35 .9% of commuter students spent six to 10 hours per week commuting, and 10.8% spent 11 hours or more per week. Further, commuter students often have other responsibilities, including taking care of family members, which can influence their levels of Challenges Faced by Commuter Students in Historically White Sororities and Fraternities 138 stress and adjustment to their institutions (Gefen & Fish, 2013) . One of those other responsibilities is the need to work. Commuter students are more likely to work and work more hours than residential students (Graham et al., 2018; Newbold et al., 2011) and less likely t

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To explore commuter students’ challenges, the strategies participants used to overcome them, and how chapter and national organization policies and practices influenced their experiences in historically White sororities and fraternities.

How were participants in this study selected?

The study used interviews with eight alumni of historically White sororities and fraternities who attended primarily commuter institutions.

What types of challenges do commuter students commonly face?

Key challenges include transportation difficulties, additional responsibilities such as family care and work, and reduced time on campus due to commuting and institutional structures oriented toward residential students.

Oct 15, 2026

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