For commuter students, being a part of the Quinnipiac community poses its challenges. Parking is scarce and finding friends can be difficult. Recently, the former TV lounge was converted into the Greek suite.

These challenges of commuting motivated sophomore Jillian Moruzzi to start the QU Commuter Club, a club open to both commuters and resident students.

Moruzzi decided to start the Commuter Club at the beginning of the school year.  In particular, the lack of a lounge was strong motivation for her to start the club.

“I talked to other commuters about the difficulty of being a part of the community and making friends,” Moruzzi said. “I want to give commuters a voice and feel a part of QU by doing events, community service, and educating residents about the Hamden area. Our main goal: to get a lounge.”

The club’s first meeting, held last Friday, involved icebreakers and discussion about potential activities. These included a trip to the mall, bowling and attending hockey games. Parking and a lounge were the most important topics of discussion.

The club is also planning to petition for recognition from the Student Government Association, and it recently participated in the spring Involvement Fair.

Senior Emily Lloyd decided to become a member because she found that meeting new people is much harder for those who don’t live on campus.

“Commuting can make finding friends difficult, and we do not even have a lounge in which to mingle,” she said.

Senior Brian Fix also sees the new club as a positive.

“The QU Commuter Club is a great opportunity to meet commuters on campus,” he said. “It also has the ability to make us feel more of a part of Quinnipiac.”