Commuters unable to make the trip home have a place to stay in Buchanan Hall thanks to the Home Away From Home program.Off Campus and Adult Student Services, in cooperation with the Department of Residence, provides furnished guest rooms for a minimal fee to commuter students, faculty and staff during situations where travel is too dangerous, said Penny Rosenthal, director of Off Campus and Adult Student Services.The Home Away From Home program was started in 1998, and Rosenthal said she was instrumental in bringing the program to Iowa State.”The goal of the service was for more commuter students to go to and stay in classes during times involving inclement weather and Dead Week,” she said.The plan solves the concerns of safety on the roads during ice and snow conditions, Rosenthal said. Also, students who have large projects to complete or tests to study for might find it easier to use on-campus resources, she said.”Many other universities have a similar type of program,” Rosenthal said.Kathy Zaimes, Buchanan Hall president, said Buchanan’s double- and single-guest room suites come with a bed, sheets, blankets, a pillow, towels and soap.There is also a television and refrigerator for added comforts, she said.”Not more than six people have used this service in a year,” Rosenthal said. “I’d like to see this number increase.”Zaimes, junior in physics, said students should take advantage of the Home Away From Home program because of its accessible location on campus.”I would like people to know about it, that it is available so people have at least a backup [place to stay],” she said.Students interested in the program can stop at Buchanan’s hall desk to fill out a registration form. Rosenthal said students need to present their ISUCards to receive room and building keys, which are good until noon of the following day.The charge is $15.50 per person per night in a double occupancy room. It costs $23 for a person to stay a night in a single occupancy room, said Creighton Gaynor, Buchanan Hall director.The Home Away From Home Web site is located at

http://www.ocass.iastate.edu/.