As a commuter student, one of the top issues on campus is parking. There are many areas that are only for commuters or staff. However resident students have a point of parking in those parking spots to be closer to their own dormitory. This is not fair, but public safety does try and issue citations for those who are parking in commuter spots illegally. Even though there are only 277 full-time commuter students, public safety has issued 310 parking passes for full-time commuters. Since students are able to register more than one car, the amount of cars on campus at one time is almost impossible to truly know. In addition there were 120 part-time commuter students that have been issued passes. 430 parking passes for the 2011-2012 school year have been issued for just commuters to park.

There have been recent additions to the college that have hindered the parking of commuters. The construction of Stanson Hall in 2008 eliminated 49 parking spaces. Although, during the time of construction there were fewer commuter students and the demand of parking was not so high, it still makes you wonder, would that have mattered. The Mund renovation project has eliminated 57 parking spaces. This was one of the largest parking areas, not to mention the most convenient for many students. Although the project will be completed before the start of the 2012-2013 school year, the amount of parking spots will be lowered to 48. This is another nine spaces that will be lost due to expansion on the school.

Currently there are 136 parking spaces along Summit Street that allow for a mixture of commuters and faculty parking. The Mary Green area allows for 23 additional parking spaces. There are 159 parking spaces behind Mund that allows for semi-convenient parking. The parking runs all the way down to the end of Summit Street. Although there are a lot of parking spaces the distance it takes to walk to other buildings on campus are inconvenient, especially in inclement weather. That seems like a large number when you look at it. Although, all commuters and all parking permits are not utilized at the same time, the amount of commuter students, verse the amount of parking should be reviewed and changed to allow for more convenient parking, and make the commuter feel like the staff cares.

There are inconvenient, but utilized parking spots at the corner of Summit and Sheridan Street. This is enough for about 15 commuters. This area is not lined, so cars fit in and park as close to each other as possible. This is not an area where I wish to park for that reason. That parking lot is usually hard to maneuver in and does not allow ample room to get in and out of your vehicle. There is also the Hackett Lot, which was previously only used for faculty. This is now available for commuter students as well. This is a grassy area that is located behind Boger’s and will accommodate approximately 60 spaces. Yes, there are problems with parking, but there are a lot of different areas that you can try and find parking in, even if they are an inconvenience to you.

If you want to voice your opinions heard about the pros and cons of being a commuter student, feel free to email me at jcg002@lvc.edu .

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