With most students commuting, campus organizations struggle to build engagement beyond the classroom
Flyers are posted. Instagram stories go live. The meeting time arrives. Still, only a handful of students trickle into a room arranged for thirty. “Sometimes the club meeting times are scheduled at a time we just want to go home,” said Christal Lirungan, a communications student at Cal State San Bernardino.
“Sometimes the club meeting times are scheduled at a time we just want to go home.”
At Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB), student organizations are facing a quiet but persistent challenge: getting students to stay. For many, campus is a place to attend class, not linger. Once the day’s lectures end, so does their time on campus.
Roughly 87% of CSUSB students live off campus, according to university data. Many balance jobs, family responsibilities, and long commutes across the Inland Empire, leaving little room for involvement beyond the classroom.
The pattern shapes the campus atmosphere. What feels active during the day often fades by the evening, making it difficult for clubs to build momentum or community.
Research shows that involvement plays a key role in student success. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has consistently found that students who participate in campus activities report higher satisfaction, stronger academic performance, and a greater likelihood of completing their degrees.
A Tale of Two Campuses
The contrast becomes clearer when compared to Cal State Fullerton (CSUF), another CSU campus about 60 miles west.
At a recent CSUF club meeting, the room was filled. Students settled in quickly, conversations overlapped, and the energy carried beyond the scheduled time as groups stayed to talk and plan.
At CSUSB, the dynamic can look very different.
After attending and observing two club meetings firsthand, attendance told a quieter story. In one, only a few students were spread across a room built for many more. Leaders continued with the agenda, but the atmosphere felt restrained.
At another, organizers delayed the start, occasionally glancing at the door as they waited for more students to arrive. No one else came.
CSUF supports more than 350 registered student organizations. CSUSB lists significantly fewer active groups, and many struggle to maintain consistent participation throughout the academic year.
Students Feel the Gap
For students, the lack of engagement shows up in everyday choices about how they spend their time after class. Lirungan noted that meeting times often don’t align with commuter schedules, making it harder to justify staying on campus.
“We put in the work to promote meetings, plan events, and create opportunities for students, but it can feel discouraging when turnout doesn’t reflect that effort.”
“We put in the work to promote meetings, plan events, and create opportunities for students, but it can feel discouraging when turnout doesn’t reflect that effort,” said Ajay Benmoin, president of PRSSA at CSUSB.
Former student Jerry Ortiz pointed to the pressure of balancing school with work and long commutes.
“It’s hard to stay for events when you still have to commute an hour home or go to work after class,” Ortiz said.
Their experiences reflect a broader trend. A 2023 report from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) found that commuter students are significantly less likely to participate in co-curricular activities than residential students.
The report suggests that universities need to rethink how engagement is structured, designing opportunities that better align with commuter students’ schedules and realities.
Why It Matters
The effects of disengagement extend beyond attendance. CSUSB’s six-year graduation rate sits around 54%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, below both the CSU system average and CSUF’s rate of approximately 67%.
While involvement is only one factor, research shows that connection to campus life plays a meaningful role in whether students persist. Sociologist Vincent Tinto’s student retention theory emphasizes that students who feel integrated into a campus community are more likely to stay through graduation.
When that sense of connection is missing, students are more likely to disengage entirely, sometimes leaving without completing their degrees.
CSUSB has made efforts to increase involvement through programming at the Santos Manuel Student Union and outreach from the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement. Even so, student leaders say participation falls short of expectations.
Each week, the chairs are set.
The question isn’t whether students are invited– it’s whether they can afford to stay.