Examined extent and pattern of stopping out at one university. Data from the fall 1983 new first-year cohort (n=2,434) revealed that one-fifth of the group had stopped out at some point in their academic careers and that the majority were readmitted. Concludes that stopping out delays but does not greatly change educational outcomes for these…

The work of helping students succeed on urban commuter campuses may be some of the most complicated in higher education. Even in understanding their tasks, educators at city-based institutions must typically draw on research and practice from an amalgam of other types of institutions, including community colleges, metropolitan universities, urban…

Briefly describes an orientation program wherein new students meet in groups of ten for campus walkthroughs'' with upperclass volunteer guides. They made a step-by-step trial run of registration procedures, talked with faculty members in their areas of interest, and toured the campus. (CJ)

Findings from 470 students at 1 urban commuter university revealed that sizable percentage of respondents reported consuming alcohol 10 or more times within last 30 days, drinking to intoxication 3 or more times within last 2 weeks, having family history of alcoholism, driving while using alcohol, missing class because of drinking, and receiving…

This study tested Pascarella's reconceptualization of Tinto's model of the persistence/withdrawal process for use in a non-residential institution. Subjects (n=372) were college freshmen who had attended freshmen orientation and had completed an opinionnaire both during orientation and at the end of their first year in a medium-sized, urban…

The sample of students completing the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) Survey at the University of Utah differs from the national reference group for the NCHA 2003 in age, employment, residence, and marital status. The purpose of this study is to determine if the defining characteristics of a commuter school increase the risk for suicidal…

Significant differences in this study were found an the Deference and Affiliation scales of the EPPS. Similarities were not accounted for by sex or socioeconomic variables. (BY)

Students (N=1919) at a commuter university responded to a questionnaire that assessed alcohol consumption issues and safer sex behaviors. Alcohol consumption prior to sexual activity was associated with number of sexual partners and frequency of sexual activity. No significant association between condom use and alcohol consumption prior to sexual…

"Lumina Foundation Lessons" is an occasional publication in which the foundation shares the results of its grantees' work on strategies to improve the persistence rates among Indiana's underserved college freshman and sophomore populations. This issue, the first in the series, contains the following articles: (1) Summer Transition…

This study of student migration patterns is based on the assumption that an important determinant of change in student migration patterns in recent years has been the increase in the number of two-year colleges. The present study utilizes data which makes possible an analysis of the relationship between student characteristics and their migration…

Surveyed 269 freshmen students at a nonresidential college to study faculty influence on student development in a commuter setting. Results suggested that the quality of student-faculty interactions may be more important in the personal and intellectual development of commuter students than the frequency of the interactions. (JAC)

A self-assessment of commuter student programs and services at San Diego State University (SDSU) indicated that the university was doing well in meeting the needs of this population. For many years, most of the students at SDSU have been commuter students. Services and programs that were developed were created with the commuter student in mind.…

AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE COLLEGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IS THE STUDENT'S SEPARATION FROM HOME AND FAMILY. LARGE NUMBERS OF COMMUTER STUDENTS HAVE AVOIDED THE NORMAL DEVELOPMENTAL TASK OF LEAVING HOME FOR REASONS OTHER THAN FINANCIAL LIMITATIONS. THE STUDENT MAY, FOR EXAMPLE, HAVE FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY IN THE SOCIAL-SEXUAL SPHERE, OR HIS PARENTS…

This paper suggests that if a group of commuter students took their introductory courses together and also participated together in small group activities related to their coursework, their acquisition of on-campus reference groups would be accelerated, and the scope of their college experience might be expanded. (Author)

Retention of college students in a special developmental program in the School of General Studies at Purdue University, Calumet (Indiana), was studied. Data were gathered from fall 1981 through spring 1984 on 245 students who completed developmental studies program requirements (24 hours) and transferred to a degree-granting school. Success was…