Through orientations for new freshmen and transfer students, one of the highlights talked about is Sac State not being a commuter school but a place to come to live and stay.

While optimistic in that stance, with current trends it seems Sac State is fine staying a commuter school.

The general premise of a commuter school is students come, learn and go home. It would be easy to say this fits Sac State perfectly but it doesn’t; it’s more complex

There are plenty of different clubs, organizations and a solid greek system. Most football games may not be packed with regular spectators but the student section is raucous and jubilant. And a beautiful landscape of flora and fauna that has just been renovated to look even better.

Best of all, there are thousands of new students that come in every semester bringing in new thoughts and ideas to keep Sac State ripe with change.

These are all attributes of a university that wants its students to stay and enjoy themselves.

However, reality sets in and paints a different picture.

Such as a school with traffic jams lasting for up to an hour, not just the first week of school, but the entire semester leading to tardiness in class and annoyed professors. A university that is about to cease admissions for an entire semester because of impaction and budget cuts leading to fewer classes for everyone.

Worst of all, Sac State has a student body out of touch with student organization, contributing to an all time low in voter turnout for ASI elections. With a student body of more than 26,000, only 12.66 percent voted in last semester’s election for the 2012-13 school year as this publication reported.

But things shouldn’t be this way.

The foundations are there for Sac State to succeed in its goal of being more than a commuter school.

Given the recent renovations throughout campus, like the remodeling of Round Table or the new cobblestone walkway around the quad; it’s clear the university is trying.

The Well is huge and cost big money, but it is beautiful. Offering different things like swimming, a gym and a rock wall for use is great. The best part of the well is that it’s all state-of-the-art equipment that will last for years.

New establishments to eat at and old ones getting a facelift are always nice. More trees and areas to enjoy outside round out the things that make wanting to stay at school worthwhile. This isn’t something that is going to change over time.

This change has to be done together between the school and students.

The first step is Sac State needs to find a way to keep students coming in every semester. Budget cuts and impaction are big problems, but with no new students coming in, it makes the renovations a waste.

The changes to campus are for the people already in Sac State to enjoy, but the real benefit of renovations is to make the school look better for potential students. It doesn’t make sense to spend money on renovations if there are no new people to come and enjoy it.

The last step is students need to care about Sac State and get involved. Having only 12.66 percent is horrible in an election for people that run the student body. That amounts to about 3300 people that voted and it’s not acceptable.

Hopefully with a new crop of students this semester, the changes are enough for them to want to get involved and make Sac State better and more than just a commuter school.