Why are there fewer commuters’ parking spots this year? Why are parking passes so expensive? Numerous students around campus have asked these questions. At the start of the 2014-2015 school year, there were a lot of changes being made – parking being a one of them. There are many students that drive to campus everyday. These students are required to have a commuter-parking pass on their cars. Students with commuter passes are also required to park only in areas with red lines. There have been a lot of areas taken away where commuter students used to beallowed to park at. . The main question students want to know is “Why?” Laura Rice, manager of Parking Services, explains exactly why these changes were made.
“This year there has been a lot more construction going on. We had to make changes to parking so that the construction workers could have somewhere to park,” stated Mrs. Rice. “We lost the Jarman lot because of the Cunninghams project. When you lose a parking lot, you have to make up those spaces somewhere.” She also stated that by late December construction by Arc will continue for the new dorms, as well as the Cunninghams will start coming down, and the Dining Hall is still getting a new roof. “We have construction all over the place,” said Rice.
For many students, parking is a major problem on campus. The most complaints come from commuter students. In previous years, there was commuter parking behind Willet Hall, a very convenient spot for athletes that had practice sometimes until 10:00 at night. Now that those parking spots are available for faculty and staff only, athletes have to park further away from the gym. Walking all the way from the gym to Cox Hall or to the top of the Recreational Center can be difficult late at night.
“The parking around here sucks,” said Kyndal Skersick, a commuter athlete. Skersick explained how she drives around for ten minutes some mornings, looking for a parking spot before class. “It has made me late numerous times,” she adds. Then says that she needs to leave 20 minutes before class in order to find a parking spot.
However, not every student is allowed to purchase a commuter pass. You are expected to buy a parking pass for the residence you live in with the exception of Longwood Village residents. Student athletes that live in Lancer Park are allowed to purchase commuter passes as well, an issue that has raised a commotion. “Everyone should have the same privileges,” said Deshay Brown, a resident at Lancer Park. The problem with that is everyone would purchase a commuter-parking pass and there would be even less parking and even more problems than we already have. “It may make parking worse, but they should really think about making more available spots for students so there won’t be any problems,” said Brown.
Another issue that has been brought up is the fact that students pay so much money for a parking pass and are limited to spots. “The parking passes are way too expensive,” Kyndal Skersick stated. “My brother attends Charleston Southern and he only has to pay $25 and is allowed to park anywhere. If they are going to make us pay so much money for a parking pass, they should allow us to park anywhere on campus.”
According to Ms. Rice, the prices here at Longwood have not changed in 10 years. “They are about the same as other schools. Other schools have different ways of calculating their fees. For example, the farther you park away from school, the less money you have to make.”
Even though parking has been a huge struggle so far this year, it all falls on the students. “Students have impact schedules. There’s traffic and accidents, so students should plan ahead,” said Mrs. Rice. “Being self informed is a good point. Not only for riding the bus, but for everything with rules.” By
