With the new extension to the parking deck, which added 594 spaces, finding a spot on campus can be easier than ever.
Junior commuter Meldrick Von Umahon said that the parking situation on campus is much better than it has been in other years, but he has some safety concerns.
“Finding parking is a lot easier,” he said. “It’s just the spots aren’t always the best because I would end up around the new parking deck and I’m on campus until late at night so walking back all the way there is a little sketchy. Parking is overall fine.”
Parking Services Manager Ann Szipszky is optimistic that the Extension will ease the parking crunch.
“I am thrilled with the new parking addition,” she said. “It was rough last year and I felt really bad for the students who had get to campus early just to drive around looking for parking. This year that is no longer an issue as parking is always available. The new extension on the parking deck has made life a lot easier, especially for our commuters.”
Other students disagree and find parking challenging because it is far away from class.
“I don’t see too much of a difference from other years with the new parking deck,” said senior commuter Emily Mastrobuoni. “Some days I get a spot close to where I need to be. Other days I’m driving 15 to 20 minutes trying to find a decent spot.”
When asked what times she suggests to avoid having to spend much time trying to park, Mastrobuoni said, “11 a.m. is usually the worst, which is when my classes are. It doesn’t usually get better until 5 p.m.”
Despite the additional parking spots, the amount of parking permits and citations given remains relatively similar to this time last year with parking without a permit the most common citation. Szipsz- ky guessed the increase could be due to a combination of the increase in price and availability in student housing.
Szipszky said that the number of citations issued so far this year is 2,251 compared to 2,232 citations at this time last year. As for permits, parking services had issued 6,684 this year. Last year they issued 6,803, according to Szipsky.
Kevin Scimecca can be reached at kevin.scimecca@student.shu.edu.
