By Ryan Kramer, Guest Writer 

This year, the Commuter Activities Board (CAB) has created a new podcast called “The Commute,” and it has already produced two episodes on YouTube, one about the various clubs that are available on campus, and the other about how to get involved in CAB itself. 

As a freshman who decided to attend Xavier after applying to seven other institutions, one thing always stood out here: Commuter Services. Between having a commuter lounge that opens at 7 a.m., which acts as a pseudo-community space like those in the residence halls and inviting commuters to a Pre-Orientation before Manresa, Xavier keeps commuters active on campus. The new podcast is another added perk.

“Many of us in the commuter student population spend a decent portion of our day in a car listening to various media, so we hope to be a part of that commute for as many students as possible,” junior exercise science major Brendan Harrah said. 

Led by CAB president Gracie McAlpin and edited by Evan Stadler, the podcast has already been well-received among students. 

“Evan has done a fantastic job editing, which can be very tedious. Going through and taking out the ‘ums’ which we say can be a lot,” faculty moderator of CAB Dr. Erika Jay said. 

Despite this, the current layout of “The Commute” looks quite different from the first thoughts that went into its creation. 

The original plan was to “connect commuters with different clubs and organizations,” Dr. Jay said. “Initially I had visions of us doing interviews with different clubs to explore how they welcomed or worked with commuters because we look for clubs that have commuter-friendly hours.  It was not the vision of the team, and I always defer to the students.” 

Now, those running “The Commute” have expanded the range of their discussions. “There will be other clubs and organizations, but there will be other things as well as off campus,” Dr. Jay said. 

Working with the WVXU radio station, the staff have found more things to compliment than criticize. 

“The team over at Cincinnati Public Radio has been very helpful in getting us access to a designated recording studio as well,” Harrah said. “Our biggest challenge to this point has been securing future guests given how busy everyone on campus is. We are always in the market for organizations/clubs to spotlight, so we welcome anyone who believes their organization can improve their commuter student participation to reach out to us.”  

Nevertheless, the entire CAB is dedicated to seeing this project through to help commuters shift gears from their homes to lives on campus.