According to SRU Fast Facts, as of the 2025-26 academic year, 58% of residents on campus come from homes within 50 miles of campus.
Although SRU requires freshmen and sophomores to live on campus, many students travel home after their classes end for the week.
“Suitcase school” is a term used for a university where many students go home on the weekend. Students may go home for a variety of reasons, such as work or spending time with family.
The Rocket conducted a survey to discover why students go home on the weekend and to gather their opinions on the topic.
Some students reported that they often go home, even though it may upset their friends who stay on campus.
“I live in Butler, so I go home every other weekend,” one junior told The Rocket. “I like to go home and see my dogs because I love them and always miss them.”
The student said that her friends get “annoyed” because they wish she attended parties with them on the weekend.
Sophomore Ave Pushchak said she goes home on the weekend only if she has a family event to attend. She also said her friends and roommates go home because they have jobs that they work on the weekend.
“I do think there are benefits to staying on the weekend because then you can have events and connect with your friends, and there are a lot of good opportunities [on the weekend],” Pushchak said.
Junior Ethan Vasconi stated that he does not go home, but instead enjoys his time on campus on weekends.
“It is kind of relaxing when you are here,” Vasconi said. “You can access everything, and you don’t have to worry about something being overcrowded.”
Vasconi said that if students live close to campus, going home is fine. “But if I were in a position where I lived three hours away, I think staying on campus would be a lot more preferable.”
He brought up the issue of long-distance driving “burning through” students’ gas. “Doing that every weekend would be expensive at some point,” he said.
Sophomore Julia Bryner said she also does not go home on the weekend.
“I just wouldn’t [go home]. I like to engage with my fellow students on the weekend, and get the full college experience,” Bryner said. “Also, if I were to go home, I would never get any of my work done.”
A group of senior students agreed that they would not go home on the weekend, preferring to stay on campus as much as possible.
“I think people have different reasons for what they do, but truthfully, I would say, it’s college man,” one student said. “You’re only here for four years, so spend time with your friends.”
One student said she is an international student. “I live like 40 hours away, so I go home twice a year,” she said.
The student said she has had to stay on campus during summer break, when she described campus as “dead”.
Students who stay on campus said to keep busy on the weekend they hang out with friends, watch movies and attend university events.
One student said he often travels to Cranberry or Pittsburgh with his friends. “I guess that’s leaving campus, but it is definitely not going home,” he said. “There are plenty of things to do.”
Rock the Weekend is a campus organization that hosts weekend events for students. The organization posts events on CORE where students can RSVP if they want to stay busy on campus over the weekend.
