Spring Break
The disconnect of the regional campus
Ryan Collins | Guest Columnist
Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: Opinion
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I wake up and get ready for school. I drive a while and then go up one of the long, winding roads that characterize many Kent State campuses. Once I pull into the giant parking lot, I lug my books into school.
Hello, I'm a student at a regional campus of Kent State.
The branch does good things in my area. It provides community activities and educates people for jobs that have local importance. At times, however, it feels as if we're just one of the myriad community colleges in the United States, instead of being an integral part of Kent State University.
The only reminder I have every day that we are part of a large university is the sporadically replenished stack of Daily Kent Staters by the bookstore.
Having an eight-campus system should mean a huge sense of community and inter-connectedness. At my campus at least, a sense of isolation pervades the buildings. Aside from working in its own small area, my campus is a homebody. Is this bad? Do (or should) regional students need to feel connected to a larger university system? I know that I do, but that will be fixed soon because I am happily transferring to the Kent Campus in the fall.
But I'm still curious, is there a disconnect between the regional campuses and Kent? Are certain opportunities lost for commuting students? I have never seen anyone other than myself reading the Stater on this campus (for what it's worth, I'm planning to major in journalism). The main campus or other regional campuses are rarely mentioned at this branch. The many advantages of an actual university are by and large overlooked at my regional campus, mostly because of the inherent nature of a commuter school.
That leads me to go beyond Kent State. Are community colleges and regional campuses healthy? Do they allow real relationships to form? The general feel of a high school-like commute pervades schedules and time frames here.
All this has led me to conclude that for local community-oriented individuals, the regional campuses provide ample opportunity for learning and work. For those wishing to get the benefits of a large university, going to the main campus is the only option. The jury is still out on community colleges in general, but perhaps the decision to attend one at least partly depends on what students want to get out of their education.
Ryan Collins is a post-secondary student at Kent State Tuscarawas Campus and guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater.
Hello, I'm a student at a regional campus of Kent State.
The branch does good things in my area. It provides community activities and educates people for jobs that have local importance. At times, however, it feels as if we're just one of the myriad community colleges in the United States, instead of being an integral part of Kent State University.
The only reminder I have every day that we are part of a large university is the sporadically replenished stack of Daily Kent Staters by the bookstore.
Having an eight-campus system should mean a huge sense of community and inter-connectedness. At my campus at least, a sense of isolation pervades the buildings. Aside from working in its own small area, my campus is a homebody. Is this bad? Do (or should) regional students need to feel connected to a larger university system? I know that I do, but that will be fixed soon because I am happily transferring to the Kent Campus in the fall.
But I'm still curious, is there a disconnect between the regional campuses and Kent? Are certain opportunities lost for commuting students? I have never seen anyone other than myself reading the Stater on this campus (for what it's worth, I'm planning to major in journalism). The main campus or other regional campuses are rarely mentioned at this branch. The many advantages of an actual university are by and large overlooked at my regional campus, mostly because of the inherent nature of a commuter school.
That leads me to go beyond Kent State. Are community colleges and regional campuses healthy? Do they allow real relationships to form? The general feel of a high school-like commute pervades schedules and time frames here.
All this has led me to conclude that for local community-oriented individuals, the regional campuses provide ample opportunity for learning and work. For those wishing to get the benefits of a large university, going to the main campus is the only option. The jury is still out on community colleges in general, but perhaps the decision to attend one at least partly depends on what students want to get out of their education.
Ryan Collins is a post-secondary student at Kent State Tuscarawas Campus and guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
main campus student
posted 2/17/09 @ 9:53 AM EST
The grass is always greener, Ryan. I've been a main campus student and a regional campus student (both Geauga and Stark, during summer sessions), but I've always been a commuter student. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 2/17/09 @ 10:36 AM EST
Ryan, you are going to miss the Tuscarawas branch after you switch. I was a Post Secondary Student at Tusc. After I graduated, I enrolled at the Kent Campus. (Continued…)
Inquisitve Mind
posted 2/17/09 @ 1:39 PM EST
Say...how much does it cost to attend English 101 at a branch campus as opposed to the main campus?
Robin Anderson
posted 2/17/09 @ 2:55 PM EST
Well...I never could get certain folk to state exactly how much "per btu or kilowat hour" the new Power Plant was costing KSU students. It's a given that the main KSU Campus could have been retrofitted with all electirc heat when it was determined that the old coal-fired power plant was obsolete. (Continued…)
Robin Anderson
posted 2/17/09 @ 2:59 PM EST
Ah...yes, it's so good to be back...flying pigs being what they are and all, eh, Stater-folk?
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