By Joslyn DelSignore Jambar Contributor
While the sky is dark and most of his students are still asleep, Trevor Ivan wakes up early to start his day.
The Youngstown State University professor had packed his bag the night before and spent an hour getting ready before leaving at 7 a.m. to depart for his 9:30 a.m. class. Why? Because he has to drive 60 miles from his home in Stark County to YSU.
While many live close to their jobs, Ivan drives an hour and 15 minutes to and from Youngstown twice a week to get to work.
“I don’t like to just walk in here and walk into the classroom. I want to spend some time in my office, just getting ready for the day, printing some things out [and] looking at emails,” Ivan said. “I try to get here between 8:30 and 8:45 [a.m.]. Some days that’s easier said than done.”
Ivan is not the only YSU professor who makes a long journey to campus every week and experiences additional stressors of construction, gas prices and weather.
Jeffrey Tyus, professor in strategic communication and media, lives in Twinsburg and drives an hour to and from YSU twice a week.
One of the biggest stressors the professors pointed out is construction. Tyus described the recent construction in Youngstown as a “major headache.”
“It seemed like when I came over to Youngstown over the summer it’s like, ‘What’s going on over here?’” Tyus said. “It just seemed like everywhere in my attempt to get home, I was finding traffic or reroutes and all those kinds of things. It’s been a little frustrating.”
Ivan said the construction has not added any extra time to his commute, but he does see it as an inconvenience.
“This semester has been pretty bad with the construction on [Interstate] 80 especially. I avoid most of it on [Interstate] 680 because it’s all south of where I would come. The construction there has not been pleasant this fall,” Ivan said.
Cryshanna Jackson Leftwich, professor in politics and international relations, said she commutes from Akron, driving an hour to and from Youngstown twice a week.
Jackson Leftwich said the first time she drove through the construction on her way to Youngstown, it added 30 minutes to her commute.
She grew up in Youngstown before moving to Akron, so Jackson Leftwich said she was always familiar with driving in the area.
“I’ve done the Youngstown-Akron commute, just not for work, basically since I was 12 because my mom lives in Akron and works in Youngstown. We’ve both done that,” Jackson Leftwich said. “The decision for this job was, ‘Well, I’ve done the commute all the time. I have to come to Youngstown anyways because I have to check on my grandmother, so I’ll just work there.’”
All three of these professors said they find themselves getting gas once or twice a week. Ivan said the recent increase in gas prices is not a huge stressor, but it is a nuisance.
“I feel fortunate enough where I don’t feel trapped for money in that. I feel like I have a little cushion to not worry,” Ivan said. “It’s an annoyance. It’s frustrating. There’s plenty of other things I’d rather spend money on.”
Later in the year, when the temperatures drop and snow falls, traveling on the slick roads can add strain to long commutes.
Tyus said being familiar with online classes helps him deal with unforeseen circumstances.
“That’s helped me to the point where even when I have classes that meet in the classroom, if something happens, I can take that class online if I need to,” Tyus said. “Being able to teach a class online and just continue to move the class along, that’s been very helpful for me as someone who commutes regularly.”
Tyus uses his familiarity with Webex to help him and his students when the weather poses challenges.
“If it is icy, if it is snowing really heavily, things of that nature, then once again, I will take my class on to Webex because not only do I not want to put myself in danger, I don’t want my students to be placed in danger either,” Tyus said.
Ivan said there have been times that he was not able to make it home because of weather conditions.
“There have been a couple times where I’ve started on the journey home and I was just like, ‘No, I’m not doing this,’ and I just go get a hotel room,” Ivan said.
Tyus and Jackson Leftwich said that even though they live far away, they still feel connected to and involved with the campus community. Jackson Leftwich said she never felt a disconnect because she is from Youngstown.
However, Ivan, who has the longest commute of the three, said the distance can make him feel a disconnect, and there are many events that he wishes he could attend.
“The rest of my life is all sort of [in Stark County] — my friends, my community, my connections to other organizations,” Ivan said. “It just feels like it’s only like an hour or so away, but it feels like you’re somewhat in a different world, because you feel like the two worlds don’t always cross.”
The professors said they keep themselves busy on their commutes by listening to music and podcasts and calling friends or loved ones.
Jackson Leftwich said with her busy life at home, she doesn’t get much time uninterrupted, so she enjoys using her drive as a time for self-care.
“I get to just be in my car, and I can listen to all my podcasts and make all my phone calls, talk to my friends uninterrupted. I get all that done, like my me-time,” Jackson Leftwich said.
Ivan said he also enjoys the feeling of being disconnected on his commute.
“You do use that as an opportunity to learn, to have some time to yourself. It’s also a time where you sort of feel unreachable,” Ivan said. “It’s kind of a nice feeling to just take some time to think and have to yourself.”
