As increasing numbers of postsecondary learners enroll in commuter campuses, speech communication departments can identify the characteristics which make commuting students somewhat different from their counterparts on residential campuses. Priorities of these two groups differ--students whose primary focus in life is the college experience contrast with commuting students with drastically different and demanding activities. The maturity level is also different, with commuting students tending to be older and more mature. A third area of difference is the focus of the students' academic interests. Vocationally-oriented majors have become increasingly popular. The implications of these basic differences are significant for speech communication faculty, and curricular adaptations can be made to accommodate these differences. Commuter campus classes could, for example, require few assignments which mandate that students meet in specific groups outside of class. In classes, innovative teaching strategies can engage the interest of the commuter student, methods such as interdisciplinary orientation, peer teaching, and wide diversity of materials. Because of the maturity level of commuter students, faculty members may need to shift their orientations away from that of omniscient authorities. Finally, speech communication co-curricular activities can be modified for the commuter student by, for example, planning flexibility in practice schedules and moderating travel time for extracurricular programs. These adaptation can provide an impetus for development and strengthening of the speech communication curriculum. (MM)