Written by Helen Strickland // Graphic by Ben Evans
Although a majority of students live on Harding’s campus, and a majority of employees live in Searcy, many people commute to work or attend classes every day. Among these people are sophomore Rebecca Dye and faculty members Jill Davis and Chantelle Taylor.
Dye lives in Sherwood, Arkansas, which is just outside of North Little Rock and a 45-minute drive from Harding. Dye commutes to Harding every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she works as a nanny.
Dye commutes alongside her friend, sophomore Rylie Griggs. Dye said their drive often consists of listening to music or listening to class lectures to study for upcoming tests.
“I love commuting because I love … getting to be here but also getting to be back home,” Dye said. “Having both worlds is really fun.”
Dye said she requests that Harding would implement commuter parking spots, as she has had trouble parking here.
Davis is an assistant math professor who also works with the Provost Office. Davis has worked for Harding for over 20 years, but this is her third semester of commuting. She lives in Conway, Arkansas — an hour and five-minute drive from Harding. She moved to Conway from Searcy in 2022 after her husband got a job there. Davis said she anticipated the drive to be difficult when she moved to Conway, but she was met with a pleasant surprise.
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Davis said. “I enjoy it. In the mornings, I try to use it … for quiet time, and usually it’s been fun to watch the sun come up … It’s been surprising how much I’ve enjoyed watching birds flying over and just the quietness and the stillness of the morning.”
Davis often listens to worship music or podcasts on her drives to Harding. On her drives home, she listens to audiobooks or sports, or she calls her friends or children.
Davis said she appreciates commuting to Harding because it has remained a constant for her since her move. She often invites students to her home in Conway, and she hosts a Wednesday night Bible study in Searcy with a friend. Davis focused on the positive aspects of commuting to Conway.
“I think if you look at it over the long term, it seems really long, but I think as a Christian, we’re supposed to just take [it] day by day,” Davis said.
Davis said certain classes of hers have been changed so she can get more time at home in Conway. She emphasized her appreciation for Harding faculty who have worked with her to allow her commute to go smoothly.
Taylor, assistant professor of chemistry, lives north of Sherwood. Taylor said her drive is 45 minutes from Harding “on a good day.”
“I take that as my downtime every day,” Taylor said of her drive to Harding. “I always have an audiobook going. Occasionally, I will listen to a podcast.”
Taylor and her husband have lived in Sherwood for 17 years. Before getting a job at Harding, Taylor commuted to West Little Rock, which she said was a 25-minute drive in the mornings and a 35-minute drive in the afternoons. She has taught at Harding for three years.
Taylor’s husband commutes to southwest Little Rock. She said she appreciates where she lives because it allows both her and her husband to reach their respective workplaces.
To Taylor, a downside of commuting to Harding is missing out on events that happen on campus in the evenings. Overall, though, she said she is “very grateful that [the] opportunity to teach at Harding came up and that it is at a drivable distance.”
Though it is a different experience than living close to campus, Dye, Davis and Taylor all acknowledged the positive aspects of commuting to Harding.
