The Campus Safety Department of Southern Adventist University is working to increase enforcement of parking passes on campus due to ongoing issues with vehicles being parked in the wrong spots.
Parking on campus is designated by $45 parking permits purchased at the beginning of each semester.
“There are enough parking spots on campus for the amount of vehicles that are registered,” said Shawn Haas, associate director of Campus Safety. “It’s simple. We have the parking, it’s just not always close.”
Some students think that there should be more parking options.
“I don’t mind paying for parking. But if I pay for parking I should be allowed to park anywhere on campus,” junior accounting major Lauren Barboza said.
Junior journalism major Gianni Arroyo agreed.
“It’s difficult finding parking spots especially with the restricted zones,” Arroyo said. “I’m paying $45 a semester, I should be able to park anywhere on campus.”
The parking committee has met multiple times to discuss the idea of new parking spaces or even a parking garage. However, with the new Bietz Center for Student Life being built, “there will be more parking spaces added to this campus,” Haas said.
This will in turn help create more space for drivers to park their vehicles.
Many of the parking problems are concentrated on Cafeteria Drive, the parking lot in between Thatcher South, Hickman, McKee Library and the cafeteria itself. This is where Campus Safety finds a lot of vehicles parked in unassigned spots, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“These are the days that nursing students use Cafeteria Drive the most,” Haas said.
If an individual parks in an unassigned spot and the assigned individual can’t park there, then this often leads that second individual to park in someone else's assigned spot.
“The reason we enforce parking is so that everyone can have proper places to park,” Haas said.
Image credit: Joseph Hyde