Of all the lots on campus, a parking permit will likely guarantee you a spot anywhere there is space. However, the Duffy lot across from Walsh Library is an exception.
At times over the last few years, students may have noticed how the lot is occasionally roped off by parking services or Securitas with only two or three cars in the lot with the rest of the spots left empty, leaving students looking for a spot near their classes wondering why they cannot park there.
According to Sergio Oliva, assistant director of Administrative Services, the Duffy lot is available to permit parkers, but is still a reserved lot. Any person with a parking permit can park there between the hours of 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. whenever it isn’t secured for a specific event.
“If the lot remains secured beyond those times, it is for Presidential events,” Oliva said. “It is always secured between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. If you haven't seen it secured beyond that, there has been no Presidential events scheduled.”
Oliva was referencing presidential events such as board meetings or occasions when the president requested space be reserved for visitors. Oliva went on to say that at some point this semester he is sure there will be an event where the lot will be secured, but as of now none is scheduled. While this lot is usually available for those with a permit to park in on a normal basis, the occasional availability has affected some students. Senior Jenna Romaine has been on the losing side of this before.
Romaine had one class in Duffy last semester and one morning when she went to park in her normal spot next to the building, she could not.
“I’d usually be fine getting there early and parking in the lot next to the building, but it was blocked off when I got there with only like two cars in the lot,” said Romaine. “I had my internship right after so parking there always helped me get to it on time but parking in the deck made it a little harder to get there when the lot was blocked off.”
This situation, although a rare occurrence, has affected students before and left them wondering why the whole lot needed to be reserved for just a few people. Another victim of the lot closure, Senior Nick Belluardo, said he went to park in his normal spot for a late night meeting last semester and could not get to it because it had been chained off by Securitas.
“It’s not a big deal most times because later in the day you’ll usually be able to find a spot in the lot behind Xavier, but when it’s early in the day I could see it kind of being a hassle,” Belluardo said. “It just seems like a little much to close the whole lot if only a few people need to park there. It’s not a big lot anyway but it is convenient whenever there is parking there.”
Eric Hostettler can be reached eric.hostettler@student.shu.edu.
