Watch The Northerner’s video coverage of this event here
NKU’s Commuter Student Initiatives and Activities Programming Board held the Design a Safe Drive event on Oct. 7 in the Student Union, gathering students to learn more about car safety. Students were able to fill a goodie bag of car safety essentials and even create their own custom license plate.
The newly formed Commuter Student Initiatives program partnered with APB to connect and support commuter students through interactive safety events like this one.
Dr. Lavette Burnett, Director of Commuter Student Initiatives, stressed the importance of events like this and emphasized the goal of making sure our commuter students get to campus safely.
“Commuter services is very new. And so one of the things that we’re really trying to work on is to get students to understand that as commuters, they are part of NKU, and my job is to make sure that they’re connected,” Burnett said. “Part of commuter services is to make sure students get here. Students get here safely, and actually make it to class.”
For commuter students, a challenge they face versus campus residents is making the drive to class safely. This event provided students with a “commuter bag” filled with items like safety triangles, window breakers, tire pressure checkers, seat belt kits, flashlights and other car safety necessities. These essential tools can be life-saving in the case of an accident, being trapped on the highway or just having general car issues that prevent students from making it to class.
NKU Commuter student Aidan Bloomfield, a sophomore general business major, opened up about a recent accident that influenced his decision to attend.
“I myself was actually in a car accident a few months back and because I was wearing my seat belt, that prevented me from getting injured a lot worse,” he said. “I think it’s super important for students to be aware of the safeties of a car.”
Vice President of Internal Affairs for APB and ambassador for the office of NKU commuter initiatives, Robert Butler II, said events like these help connect students to the campus community.
“APB hosts free events on campus to allow for students to do things outside of the traditional school atmosphere,” Butler said. “So events like this really bring it to their home base.”
It’s easy for students to feel disconnected and out of place when they aren’t directly connecting themselves to campus. Commuter student LeaAnn King, a B.S Biology (Pre-Med CMD track) major with a Neuroscience minor, said the event helped her feel connected to campus.
“I commute, but I also work a full-time job, raise three kids and drive an hour to campus every day,” King said. “This is really nice. It’s like, hey, we see you and we’re supporting you even though you aren’t close to campus.”
Ultimately, this is what Commuter Student Initiatives hopes to accomplish through their services and on-campus events. Creating an atmosphere of inclusion and acceptance of all students at NKU. Dr. Burnett has committed to this mission and hopes students will continue to attend and connect with these events. As a college student, it is crucial to make connections and get involved with school. This can open new doors and unexpected opportunities.
“It’s a proven fact that the more engaged you are, the more successful you will be,” Burnett said.
Events like this bridge the gap between commuter students and NKU. The message from Commuter Student Initiatives is clear:
“Being here and being safe, making sure that you connect with classmates, making sure that you are engaging with everyone and making sure that you are able to thrive successfully and safely,” said Burnett.