Tag: Commuters

Calling All Commuters!

Calling All Commuters!

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Commuter life is a world of its own. If there’s one major difference between Loyola students, it’s if you are a commuter or you dorm on-campus; our [commuter] lives are quite unique and different.

 

Unlike the dorming student, we travel, sometimes from afar, every single day via different methods of transportation. Train, bus, car (or even Uber), bike, on foot, or teleportation- we have some idea of how to get around from place to place. We have to make the daily commitments of being on time (finding out when the train will arrive at the station, running after a bus, or factoring rush hour and traffic times, etc). Timing becomes more crucial during the winter because Mother Nature loves to surprise Chicago with unexpected snow blizzards and below zero weather. As a native Chicagoan, I know to have my supplies ready- umbrella (A MUST), an extra sweater, a sled, some reigns, and a pack of sled dogs.

For us commuters, please consider us warriors. (That will give us motivation for this upcoming winter)

 

Timing is one thing, but having the motivation and mindset is another. Commuters have to be determined to wake up earlier than the dorming student, know his/her responsibilities that need to be done at home for the family, and have enough energy to get through the day (factoring classes, school work, and the commute home). The dorming student may have similar responsibilities, but they can be considered more independent because they are not living under a family roof and since they live on campus, can do much more with friends 24/7.

 

The one thing (in my case) that I think commuters especially appreciate and love is……the UPass. Whereas people in general have to pay a fee every time they use the CTA, we have this lovely card which allows us to use the CTA as much as we want, whenever we want, using any form of CTA public transportation. This card allowed me to explore much more of Chicago during my free time and has allowed me to cut costs on commuting.  Prospective freshman…you will understand what I mean! 🙂

 

Here at Loyola, we have the Off-Campus Student Life group (which I am a part of). Our motto is that we are “Commuter Proud.” Yes, we are proud. We are warriors, aren’t we? We are more than your average dorming student because not only do we engage in student activities and go to classes, but we actually experience Chicago in a much more raw and realistic way. Us commuters, though we tackle many obstacles, we still are proud of who we are and our accomplishments.

 

Itasca Crash

Itasca Crash

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This might be late news to some commuters, maybe to all commuters, but about a week and a half ago there was a huge delay on Metra trains.  I, unfortunately, was in one of the trains that was delayed exactly 2 hours.  As you can see from the picture, there was a train and car collision on the Itasca stop.  The Midwest-Elgin line that I take makes a stop at Itasca and fortunately, it wasn’t my train that hit this car.  The train in front of us was the one that, at 70 mph, hit a crossing car early morning.  Details as to how this happened were not given right away.

Luckily, the elderly conductor, and the only passenger, of the car survived with minor injuries.  The paramedics described that she walked to the ambulance.  It is of shock and a blessing that this collision did not result in any deaths.  It was frightening for those who were in the train; these people were transferred over to the train that I was riding in and described that the train had only one dent and nobody was hurt.

Even though, it was the first week of classes, I  still attempted to make it to my 10am class.  However, this was not the case.  As you may all know, once you get to Union Station downtown, you need to take the Red Line all the way to Loyola.  This is about another 40 minutes, and I got to class at the end of lecture.  These are problems that commuters have to face, but it’s a sacrifice!  This is why I enjoyed my dormitories at Loyola so much; they were so convenient, close, and fun!  I recommend everyone to live near campus if they can for its convenience is maximal!

Note to commuters: take the earlier trains.  It is better to get to campus sooner than later!  Till next time…

Stephanie

**The picture is not my original picture.  I googled this picture; however, I do have a video of the crash as my train passed the Itasca stop.