The Woes of a Commuter

It’s Monday morning and the time is 7:51 AM. As I make my way across the hump, I check my phone again to see how much time I have to hightail it to class. As I pass the Mini Dome, I notice that the yellow gate leading to the commuter parking lot is still closed. Now I have to waste more time to find a place to park because the space that the university designated for me to park my vehicle is unavailable.
At this point, my options are to either hike from the Mini Dome or take my chances in the smaller commuter lot directly across the street, which fills up even faster.
Why does it seem like, the largest commuter lot on campus caters to commuters? The lot is closed too often for one reason, or another but by it being closed, it will never efficiently serve its purpose; to allow the students who do not reside on campus a place to park their vehicle. This creates an inconvenience, and ultimately puts me at a disadvantage, and of course Traffic and Parking ride around handing out tickets with no remorse.
I took it upon myself to question why the lot was closed. According to an employee of Traffic and Parking, the Human Jukebox had practice at 2 PM, so the powers that be found it logical to keep the lot closed all day. It was barely 8 AM. What sense does that make? Why make me purchase a parking pass only to allow the designated space be used for something else? And no disrespect to the band, I definitely admire their work ethic and support them to the fullest. They are the literal heartbeat of our University. All I’m saying is, I paid for this spot. We are at Southern to further our education and the fact that I was tardy to class because the commuter lot was closed is unacceptable. Futhermore, If you have a bulldog for a professor, especially at this point in the semester, rushing into an 8:00am class at 8:09am can prove to be detrimental. Trust me, I’ve been through it.
Commuters make up a large part of the student body, and I feel as though we deserve a heads up if there are parking lots that will be closed. It would give us time to prepare for an alternative. Maybe some of the funds that Traffic and Parking earn through booting and ticketing could be put toward some type of messaging system. Even if the announcement is sent through general info. It would be on us to check the updates, but at least it would be there.