A "Lot" of Problems

By Tom Habib

EASTON- Its 6:31 pm and the 1996 Toyota winds its way through the crowded parking lot. Cameron Knights is a 22 year old, Stonehill College senior who has dealt with this problem all year, no place to park.

“It’s a real problem,” Knights said. “I don’t feel like parking in the middle of East Bum[expletive].”

The dissatisfaction with parking outside of the New Residence Hall has left many upperclassmen frustrated. Upperclassmen are forced to park 15 minutes away, in the expansive and distant Lot 17.

“If I wanted a workout, I would have gone to the gym, not walk 10 miles back to my dorm” he said, exaggerating the distance between available spots and his dorm.

Knight’s aggravation stems from a series of violations he has received from parking in restricted spots. With such few parking spots, he has resorted to these illegal spots for quick stops and convenience. As a “habitual offender,” Knights has many outstanding tickets that need to paid for before graduation this spring and faces the threat of being towed if he violates parking procedures again. So Knights now parks in the distant Lot 17.

The New Residence Hall has added 250 upperclassmen to the Corr and Du Lac side of campus. With the students from four residence halls, Villa Theresa, Notre Dame Du Lac, Corr Hall and the New Residence Hall all competing for spots, open spaces have become a rarity.

Derek Chapdelaine, another senior resident in New Hall, has faced a different inconvenience because of the limited parking. “I have to wake up a 6:15 a.m. for varsity hockey practice. It’s tough to walk across campus to Lot 17 with equipment just to get your car.”

Chapdelaine, like Knights, has accumulated several tickets this year already because of careless parking.

“While there are many special permit spots available, we can’t park there. I have stopped trying because of all the tickets.”

Matt Nigro, a senior resident in the New Hall, summed up his thoughts in one simple sentence “It seems like poor planning. I don’t understand how they can add so many more students without expanding the parking lot.”

Students of the New Hall aren’t even trying to get the few spots available in the NewDu lot anymore. Mike Farwell, a senior in the New Hall said that the chances are so slim, you might as well save some time and settle for Lot 17 and start walking earlier.

Farwell also said “I drive my car a lot less because of the inconvenience. I can only imagine what athletes or student-teachers must go through on a regular basis just to get to their commitments.”

Alex Cosmer, yet another senior living in the residence hall, was a little more understanding about the parking situation than the rest of his peers.

He said, “It’s annoying, but there’s worse things in life.”

New Hall and Notre Dame Du Lac Resident Director Dave Golden said he has heard about the parking issue.

“We get complaints every day.”

Despite Resident Life’s non-involvement in parking structures, the students are eager to share their displeasure surrounding parking with the staff. Golden noted that the administration discussed the issue of parking and did everything in their power to assist students through the car related struggles.

Golden continued to say that “the competition for a parking spot is pretty cutthroat.”

The lot does not appear to be expandable, despite the need for many spaces. With over 500 students in this portion of campus and less than 100 available spots, the lot is always packed. The “Mill Stones” and marshlands surrounding the parking lot have created a buffer between land that is suitable for lot expansion and the lot itself.

Parking and driving have become a way of life for many college students. Some surveys found that up to 70 percent of college age students own or have access to cars (CollegeParentalCentral). With the current issue of limited parking in the New Residence Hall and Du Lac lot, it’s easy to understand the students’ frustrations.

So as Cameron Knights pilots his “old faithful” station wagon all the way to Lot 17 he mumbles to himself, “it would be easier to own a horse.”