A la carte dining has been there at UW- Madison since my day eons ago and it is definitely NOT a commuter school. btw- weekends a few dorm dining places are closed and they only offer brunch and supper hours (most students will be sleeping in during traditional breakfast hours) so having different weekend dining opportunities is not always an indicator.
One place you can check is student unions (UW has two) during the weekends. Busy means plenty of students around. Or at least check for weekend activities on campus.
Check on student parking. UW has extremely little available for students, and it is expensive on and near campus. On other campuses I’ve seen plenty of free parking in front of dorms.