Commuter Appreciation Week: Spring 2025
Commuter and Off-Campus Life (COCL) is hosting its annual Commuter Appreciation Week during March 10-14. The week is filled with opportunities to take a break from studying and enjoy free activities like painting, cookie decorating, and more fun events. Use your break in between classes to stop by the festivities and meet more commuters on campus.
Commuter Appreciation Week is a tradition created to celebrate commuters who make up 85% of UIC’s student population. Events are scheduled during the day, ensuring they fit within the typical hours commuters are on campus. One of the highlights this year is the “Book Nook & Exchange” event, where students can participate in a fun craft and walk away with a new book to read! Crystal Vasquez, Associate Director of COCL, hopes “students walk away from the week with a stronger connection to UIC, more knowledge of the office, and a new friend or two”. She emphasizes the importance of this event in making commuters feel less alone in their experiences.
Events
Paint & Pour
Sugar Cookie Decorating
Book Nook & Exchange
Friendship Bracelet Making & Pop Culture Trivia
Bouquet Bar & Bouquet
While this week is dedicated to commuters, all students are welcome! Events are open for students to drop in at any time during designated hours. Still on the fence? Student Max Ayoub, COCL Commuter Assistant, encourages students to check out the events, reflecting on the positive impact it has on the community. He has been working in COCL since last Fall and shares that the week was the “first time I got to see our team in action, planning and staffing a full-fledged, week-long event.” It gave Max an appreciation for how talented the COCL is, and he’s “happy to be a part of that!” As a reminder, students don’t have to stay for the whole event. Students are able to arrive late or leave early, in fact, it’s expected.
He invites students to check out the Commuter Student Resource Center (CSRC) after Appreciation Week ends to experience the space in a more relaxed setting. CSRC, located in Student Center East, through the right of Inner Circle, and past the Wellness Center, offers access to facilities such as lounge spaces, a kitchenette, lockers, and a lactation room. COCL offers free resources, making it easier to navigate life as a commuter.
Whether you have 30 minutes or one hour to spare, Commuter Appreciation Week offers something for everyone. Want to learn more about the entire week? Visit go.uic.edu/commuterappreciation and follow Commuter and Off-Campus Life @UICCOCL on Instagram for giveaways, day-of updates, and future commuter events!