Residence Hall parking lots at capacity for first time in 10 years
Jordyn Hermani || Parking lot 40 on West Campus nearly filled to capacity on Wed. Oct. 7, 2015.
For the first time in 10 years, residence halls parking lots are filled to capacity, forcing some students living in residence halls to park elsewhere on campus.
As of the end of September, 8,613 parking permits overall have been sold, a 336 pass increase from last year. South campus has seen the greatest increase in overall passes bought; with 174 more passes being bought in fall 2015 than in fall 2014.
Kim Speet, director of Parking Services, said there is little the university can do in regards to lack of parking spaces.
"Parking permits for the freshmen lot, commuter lots and faculty/staff lots are still available to purchase, although the available parking spaces may be farther away from the campus buildings than in the past," she said.
Though Parking Services says there is nothing they can do to create more parking spaces, students are not pleased with the situation.
"I think (administration) should put themselves in our perspective," said Midland senior Emily Wiser. "If they had to park as far away as the students do, how would that impact their day? They need to take a step back and look at (the big picture) instead of just assuming that students will eventually find a (parking spot)."
Grand Rapids junior Lauren King said the distance from a student's car to their residence hall could lead to problems when walking home, especially at night or in the cold.
"It's a big problem. I never had a car when I was living in the dorms but it's just a convenience (to have your car parked in the residence lots) especially if you have to drive to work," she said. "Parking (far away) in the commuter parking lot is just ridiculous in that sense."
Although the two commute to campus now, they still see an issue with making students park at a distance from where they live. Wiser in particular said her time living in north campus would have been much different if she had the same problems then as students have now.
"I lived on North Campus for two years and I had a job, but luckily I was able to get a pass there," Wiser said. "But if you live in north now and you have to get a pass for the freshman (lot) and you have a job, and there are no (parking spaces) available (near you) then that's just going to cause your life a lot more stress."
