Struggling to think of what to write about, I began to ask around. I had some good ideas thrown out, but nothing stuck until my teammate mentioned the horrendous parking here at Union College. Union is a small school of just under 2,500 undergrad and I would say about 25% have a car here at school. That means there are around 600 cars being crammed into a very small square footage containing extremely limited parking. A good percent of parking spots are not even offered to students because it's reserved for administration only or facility vehicles. Our school is constantly growing, therefore, so is this pressing issue I hear brought up around campus, daily.
We have the Richmond parking lot. How convenient that one of the biggest lots on campus is tucked behind a freshman dorm. Our school is just begging the Freshman class, who are not allowed to have their car (I will revisit this), to scheme their way in. Richmond is far from everything except Peter Pause. Fox and lower frat residence know the heartbreak of parking their cars and making the excruciating trek back to their room. College Park Hall, also one of the largest, is even less convenient, I hope you're seeing a pattern here.
I will take this time to admit that in the modern world we live in, we have been spoiled by the beautiful invention of automobiles. We should be thankful we don't have to travel by foot or horse drawn carriages. Our generation is laaaaazy and we often have ragging fits when we have to walk an extra half mile.
And don't even get me started on accepted student days and parents weekend. If there's already a lack of parking for enrolled students, how are earth are we to fit the parents of 2,500 or hundreds of prospect students???
As stated above, Freshman are not allowed to have cars on campus unless they have a valid reason to have one. I'm not too sure of the requirements one must have in order to have it okayed by the school, but I do know a lot of Freshman get away with it. In the Fall it's not that bad, a couple Freshmen sprinkled here and there will have cars, but the majority does not. THEN Spring term hits and that number magically grows by three. Students seem to not care about the endless tickets they receive because having a car means that much to them.
In conclusion, the parking at Union College is terrible. Yes, our generation is constantly in a rush and expects quick solutions, but there are students who truly need their cars for doctor appointments, off campus internships and jobs, ect. If you are in a hurry to get to class and have no where to park your car, you either have to face an expensive parking ticket or show up 30 minutes late. Due to our small campus, it is difficult to find a real solution to the problem, but something must be done.
