Furthermore, not all Dudleymen even bother to grace Dudley's door-step, and many of those who do regard it as merely a coat-rack and cafeteria. The place lacks tone--participation is erratic. The result: an athletic program that is "good, but difficult to support adequately," or as another commuter put it more accurately, "good on paper, but lacking in spirit."
Dudley's social atmosphere was called "very gregarious," "jovial and merry," but also "rowdy," "lowbrow, unattractive," and "high-schoolish." The story is told about a Social Committee meeting some years ago which was voting on whether to accept the residential inter-House ticket for the Dudley dance. "No," said one commuter firmly, "we don't want those Ivy Leaguers at our party." Staff members took that as a danger signal, and commuters are now accepting more fully the social norms of their classmates--including ties and jackets in the dining hall.
Asked to suggest physical improvements for Dudley, commuters gave a long list, including more room for quiet studying, better game room, more gracious dining hall, junior common "that isn't just an entrance hall," several small meeting rooms, and shower facilities. Other notable items: more lockers and coat-racks, a coffee shop, "huge" parking lot, evening meals, larger bunkroom, bicycle and scooter parking, and most of all--a new, centralized facility designed with the commuting student in mind.
When asked whether or not the College should accept an increased percentage of commuters in coming years, many voiced "no opinion." Of those who did, however, the majority was against such expansion. What is significant are their reasons: "commuters are too homogenous a group," and "commuters are cheated out of college life." One non-resident even expressed the thought, "commuting is, generally speaking, a drag," and another unhappy student closed his little essay with these words: "war and commuting--they're both hell."
These unfortunate themes--of isolation, of college as a mere extension of high school, of commuter weariness--are firmly underlined by observations such as: "commuting may be a necessary evil, but I see no reason to make it a greater problem." In effect, this is Pusey's point when he mentions this "less than the best of all possible worlds." Even if living at home is not an "evil," which seems rather strong terminology, it is a less than ideal way to attend college.
The non-residents themselves have few illusions about their contributions to the College as a whole.