By Cassy Jane Werking '13
Siena College is an institution that strives to create a strong sense of community among all students, faculty, staff and administrators. That positive working environment encourages us students to succeed in the classroom and connect with our peers. That environment was further enhanced with the installation of 72 wood-finished lockers in the Sarazen Student Union. The lockers are located beneath the commuter lounge and outside “Bernie’s,” the newly named pizza shop. While any students can use them, the lockers are designed to make it easier for commuter students to store safely personal belongings while they are attending classes or participating in extracurricular activities.
The lockers were opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 13.
“The lockers mean so much to the commuters because it reflects the sense of community here at Siena,” said Former Commuter Life Council President Alexis Benedetti ’14. “I am so grateful for such a friendly environment.”
Commuter students are welcome members of the College community even though they do not reside on campus, which I learned as commuter for the first two years of my Siena career. When I became Student Senate President in 2012, a further integration of commuter students into campus life became one of the hallmarks of my administration. The most important way to advance this goal was to install lockers which will enable commuters to have a safe location to store their belongings and connect with fellow students.
Installing commuter lockers in the Sarazen Student Union was truly a collaborative effort spearheaded by the student body. Benedetti and members of the Commuter Life Council joined me in advocating for the lockers. With support from the Student Senate and College administrators, including President Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D. and Director of Risk Management Sandy Serbalik, we were able to finance the project. Now commuters may not need to make that extra walk to their cars to store their laptops or purses while they are on campus.
"My fellow Council members and I are excited to announce the installation of the commuter lockers,” said Commuter Life Council President Dina DeCarlo ’15
“Thank you to everyone who provided support for this initiative, these lockers will definitely be put to good use!"
The commuter lockers are free to use and they’re offered on a first-come, first-served basis through the Office of Campus Programs and Student Activities.
