Every weekday morning, many DePaul University students shuffle onto packed buses, stand shoulder to shoulder on trains and heat up their cars to make their way to the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses.

For many Latine students, who make up  approximately 21% of the student population at DePaul, the day begins hours before walking into class. 

According to fall data from DePaul’s Institutional Research and Market Analytics, 45.9% of students live in suburban areas, 29.8% reside in Chicago and 1.6% live elsewhere in Illinois. 

Some commuters say they are more likely to live at home due to lower costs of housing or to support their families. 

Latinos make up nearly 30% of Chicago’s population, which is about 800,000 residents, according to U.S. Census estimates. Many live in neighborhoods like Belmont Cragin, Little Village, Pilsen and Humboldt Park, all long-standing Latino cultural hubs that help feed into DePaul’s commuter student population.

While DePaul recommends campus housing as an “important aspect” of the college experience in building community, many Latine students feel dorm fees add a financial burden their families can’t afford. University housing and meal plans cost thousands of dollars each year, which is much more than what students pay by just living at home.

Dorm fees for the 2024-25 school year range from $2,937 to $6,582 depending on location and style of housing. This cost, paired with the meal plans that are required to live on campus, are just some of the  many factors that can make college feel inaccessible.

This is true for DePaul junior Susana Montesino. She said that while she would have loved to have lived on campus, she stays at home to support her family in any way she can. She feels that commuting allows her to stay grounded by keeping up with the connections at home. 

“Being able to commute has permitted me to not only further my education full-time, but also reach my goals financially while doing the job I love without having to go super far away from home,” said Montesino.

Despite challenges like navigating through traffic and at times feeling drained, Montesino said commuting allows her to work at Ulta Beauty while pursuing her dream of earning a nursing degree.

Still, travel time often limits students’ ability to participate in extracurricular activities. Late-night events, student organizations and study sessions are difficult to attend when students also have to worry about transit schedules and safety concerns. 

CTA data shows several types of crimes reported at CTA locations just this year, including one homicide. There have also been 30 robberies and 44 incidents of larceny and theft. 

In some cases, commuters feel left on the back burner of student organizations and school events.

Jesse Arroyo, a DePaul junior studying criminology, said that while DePaul does very well in reaching out to commuters, he sometimes doesn’t have the luxury of staying because of his two-hour commute from Plainfield, IL.

“If there are school events or parties that happen late in the day on campus, I can’t always stay since my commute back home is really long,” Arroyo said. “If the parties go on really late, I usually leave earlier than everyone else from the parties, since I have to go home so I can catch a Metra train back home.”

Regardless, Arroyo is still able to enjoy the benefits that commuter life brings. For him, safety isn’t an issue because he makes sure to pay attention to his surroundings. He likes living at home, saving money and enjoying homemade meals.

Courtney James, senior director of DePaul’s Office of Student Involvement, understands that while the experience of every individual depends on the length of their commute, and says the office does everything it can to make events accessible to everyone.

“We, very intentionally, work to design things in our social content to make sure that students know what’s going on. … No matter what time of the day things might be happening,” James said. “We also do a number of different email blasts, print materials, connections to students, newsletters, all of those different components.”

Even so, James and other staff are always open to feedback on how best to serve all DePaul students, whether they commute or not.

While staff continue to look for ways to improve commuters morale, some of the pressures that Latine commuters’ experiences exist outside the university. For students who come from undocumented or mixed-status families, fears surrounding ICE continue to impact decisions about daily commute.

Rumors or reports of ICE presence on public transportation or in their neighborhoods heightens students’ anxiety because it leaves the community feeling scared of leaving their house. Even without direct encounters, just knowing that ICE could be around can turn a regular commute into a stressful one for all Latine people, but especially commuters.

Amarylis Frausto, a Dominican University junior and commuter studying biology, said that, while she’s documented, a potential encounter with ICE is something she fears.

“There are days that I don’t go to class because I’m scared of taking the bus. With ICE in the city, I have to change how I move around and travel. My teachers are understanding about it, but it’s just sad that this is the world we live in,” Frausto said.

Even though the rush of “Operation Midway Blitz” has scaled down, immigration arrests have still been made. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, federal agents may return to the city in March.

Frausto’s experience highlights how commuting for Latine students is about more than just travel time. It’s about navigating a city where safety and immigration concerns are all intertwined.