Bowling Green State University, Commuter Off-Campus Organization records

In October 1966, two representatives of the newly formed Commuter Organization were added to Student Council - a first step in collectively addressing the issues of BGSU commuter students. [Two earlier commuter groups had not sought or received this recognition, nor were they ever officialy recognized by the University adminstration as student groups.] Membership in the Commuter Organization was automatically given to any student who did not live in a dormitory nor a fraternity or sorority house. A governing Commuter Committee was made up of 35 commuter representatives. One Student Council representative represented students living in Bowling Green; the other represented out-of-town commuter students.

The next step was the creation of a Commuter Center, which opened in November 1967 in the basement of Moseley Hall. This facility was designed to give commuter students a place to gather between classes. The initial center had a study room, a dining room, vending machines, lockers for coats and books, and a lounge area.

The Commuter Center remained a fixture of the BGSU campus and is now housed on the second floor of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The lounge is named for Hazel A. Smith, a former BGSU student who was instrumental in the evolution of the Off-Campus Student Center. Mrs. Smith, a pioneer in the field of commuter centers became the first full-time administrator of the program in 1967 and served in this capacity until shortly before her death in 1986.

The mission of Off-Campus Student Services (a program within the Office of the Dean of Students), is to serve as "a conduit for information fostering a connection among students, the University, and the City of Bowling Green community to create a responsible and educated citizenry by providing programs and resources to students living off-campus."