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The Et Cetera

The Et Cetera

As enrollment increases, so should parking spaces

We’ve all had those days when the campus parking lots’ mass capacity is made painfully clear.
A half dozen cars search for one space while circling like sharks sensing blood in the water. A symphony of car horns and grumbled obscenities provide the soundtrack as we inch along in a packed line, fighting oncoming migraines.
Every one of us has experienced this torture in some way.
Even if you are one of the lucky few to grab a spot during the morning rush, you can pretty much guarantee there will be multiple cars clamoring for your spot when you get back, preventing an easy escape. This is especially troublesome if you are only leaving campus momentarily.
It is not unusual to spend 15-30 minutes searching for a single spot, and many people are forcing themselves to arrive more than an hour earlier than normal to beat the crowd.
Those who don’t take such precautions — students and professors alike — risk being late to class. Walking from their cars to their destinations can also prove problematic for those with physical limitations.
The recent rise surge in enrollment only compounds this problem.
Before, people were complaining about having to walk long distances to get to and from their cars.  Now, it’s a minor miracle to find a space at all during peak class times.
We believe it is time for this problem to be addressed.  A few dozen new parking spaces could make all of the difference in the world.
However, we realize that changes such as these cannot be made overnight.
In the meantime, we recommend that more people take advantage of carpooling and the DART service. Alternative forms of travel, such as walking or biking, could also work for students living close to campus.
Another suggestion for the administration would be to introduce a shuttle to transport students and employees from lots in outlying locations, such as the baseball field.
These would all be great ways to save on gas and slash parking time and frustration.
We realize these are only temporary solutions and thus only postpone the issue rather than address it, but they are solutions nonetheless.
Lack of adequate parking on campus has been a problem that has gone ignored for too long, and with each passing semester, it is only getting worse.
As the dependency on community colleges rises, parking availability will continue to shrink.
With the classrooms growing more and more crowded, could we possibly be outgrowing our own campus?

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