During college, being a commuter can make it hard to engage in school events and activities. Not being able to participate in campus traditions can make it feel like you’re not getting the full college experience. Some commuter students at Meredith College feel this way when it comes to the college’s largest, most well-known event: Cornhuskin’.
Although Cornhuskin’ is a one-day event, it requires weeks of preparation and practices if you want to participate in the activities within it. These practices start weeks in advance of the date and can run for about two hours each time. In addition, dance practices are done at night, ending at about 11 p.m. This can be very inconvenient for commuters who live a significant distance from campus, especially if they have classes early the next day. Other commuters may not have the time to dedicate so many hours and days in preparation for the event. Work and life commitments make it hard for people who don’t live on campus to separate time to commute back to campus for practice.
There are various reasons commuters feel that Cornhuskin’ is not as accessible to them as it is to on-campus residents. For example, as a freshman, I wanted to participate in Cornhuskin’ and had attended the first three-or-so dance practices. The practices started around 9 p.m. and went until 11 p.m. I only live thirty minutes from campus, but it became difficult for me to attend because I would get home at 11:30 p.m. and still would have homework to do. After that late night, I had a class at 8 a.m. the next day.
Although Cornhuskin’ was a tradition I looked forward to most as an incoming freshman, it was impacting my sleep schedule. I was scared it would impact my academic performance as well. I decided then to not participate that year but try it the next year. However, sophomore year and junior year came, and I found that I didn’t feel that same yearn to participate as I did freshman year. It’s become something that I will watch if I have time, but if not, that’s fine. It is still exciting, but when I remember the difficulties involved in trying to participate, it takes away any desire to participate. This is especially true since I am busier than before.
All in all, Cornhuskin’ is a very exciting tradition that Meredith students look forward to as they first step on campus. My only contention is that I wish that it was more accessible to commuters who must travel back and forth to Meredith in order to participate in this tradition.
By Gisselle Alejo, Contributing Writer