Rather than live on campus, Omar Alnuaimi, sophomore accounting major, decided to stay home in Naperville to be closer to his family. That was before gas prices reached $4 a gallon.

While gas prices have come down some, they are still out of Alnuaimi’s price range. The commuter student pays $120 a week for gas, he said.

Then he discovered Carpool Commuter Connections (CCC), a free service on the NIU Web site that helps match commuting students, faculty and staff with other commuters.

“I’m either looking for a ride or I’ll give a ride,” Alnuaimi said. So far, two people have contacted him through the service but were not matches: One would be leaving DeKalb too late, and the other just wanted a ride on the weekends.

On the CCC site, commuters are prompted to enter their zip code. From there, commuters will find fellow commuters who live in their area. They can view those commuters’ profiles to see the days of the week and times they attend NIU.

For instance, biochemistry major Allen Kou, here studying for a second bachelor’s degree, leaves his Naperville home at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 6:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A member of the site since August, Kou has yet to receive a response.

“Not a lot of people use it,” Kou said. “I don’t think it’s highly publicized.”

While they do have certain parameters, both Alnuaimi and Kou are willing to be flexible with their departure and arrival times. Like Alnuaimi, Kou wants to carpool to save money on gas and to avoid wear and tear on his vehicle.

CCC users can send messages to other users on the site, and personal information is not shown unless users allow it.

Jill Zambito, director of Commuter and Non-Traditional Student Services, said improvements will soon be made on the site to make it more user-friendly. User profiles that are outdated will be removed.

Zambito said her department is planning on better publiciy for the service.

“I think not a lot of people know about it,” Alnuaimi said. “If they were to send an e-mail out reminding people about the ‘Carpool Commute,’ that would help.”

CCC will only be successful once many students use it, Zambito said, which is why promoting it is so important.

“It’s a nice service we have. It’s unique,” she said. “I think it encourages eco-friendly behavior, which is great for a college.”

Still, Alnuaimi said he will live on campus next year. Even though gas prices are a major reason why he will live on campus, they are not the only one.

“You feel like you’re missing out on the college experience,” he said of being a commuter. “You don’t feel part of the school.”

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