New commuter lounge debuts

With almost 300 commuter students, Messiah College is serving this growing population by building a new commuter lounge to open in fall 2017.

The lounge, housed in what was formerly the South Side Café in the basement of the Mountain View Residence, will include a kitchen area with a refrigerator, a television area, study tables and plenty of locker space. 

 “Commuters have been a priority for the College for a long time,” said Kathie Shafer, vice president of operations. “We have been working with commuter students to determine what their needs are, and now we can finally give them a good home here on campus.”

The lounge, funded by a legacy gift from Charles Frey along with Scott and Gaye Heintzelman, will be named for Frey.

 Commuters also will find more parking spaces available. In addition to the existing commuter lot at Starry, new designated commuter spots will open in front of Sollenberger Residence and in the Bittner lot.   

Ambreen Imran ’20, commutes from her home in Hershey. “Most of my classes are in Jordan and Kline, so the new parking will really make my days better,” said Imran.

Shafer says listening to commuters and their needs made the new lounge possible. “We need to be more and more aware that students are choosing to commute,” said Shafer. “A strong college campus has students who bring all kinds of perspectives to the table, and it’s important that all students have the opportunity to be successful.”

— Sarah Fertsch ’19