Commuter Parking: Students question parking regulations

Commuter students make up half, of Southern University’s student enrollment. The population includes local first-year students that reside at home, upperclassmen living in surrounding areas, non-traditional students. A similar concern that commuter students have are the lack of convenient and sufficient parking. At the beginning of each semester commuter and non-commuter students are required to register for parking hangtags. With hangtags increasing in price each semester there is a decrease of information. When a hangtag is purchased a student isn’t given a brochure, which list the regulations and assigned parking lots, unless it is asked for. Commuters have four lots designated to them. Lots include F.G Clark Activity Center, the East Side of the Stadium (where the band practices), Lot 110 (intersection of Jesse Owens and B.A Little), and behind the P.B.S Pinchbeck Engineering building. There is also a commuter parking site behind T.T Allian, but the first row of that parking is for faculty only. Students often question why this row is designated for staff.
“Originally the whole lot was faculty and the department decided to make eighty percent to students,” said Deputy Administrator of Southern University’s Police Department, Kevin Johnson. Students that reside on campus are allowed to park near their dorms. Students are concerned with locations, conditions and availability of parking. To ensure proper parking the current parking spots were repainted. “Lines by the Mini Dome were painted over the weekend of August 29,2014,” said Johnson. “They are brand new,” finished Johnson.
Students describe their parking experiences. “It is Horrible, Unconventional and inconvenient,” said Aqua Shaw, a Baton Rouge, native graduating senior Nursing major. “Especially, on rainy days having to park in the grass and mud,” finished Shaw. Mentioning a solution to an inconvenience of parking, Shaw mentioned that parking should be zoned based on majors. This idea collaborates with Anique Spriggs, Port Allen native Senior Nursing major, “I don’t have a problem with parking,” said Spriggs. “Except for the fact that nursing can have their own individual parking, similar to how the law students have their own, but we don’t,” finished Spriggs. Students are issued a ticket for parking violations and or towed for having more than three unpaid tickets, with the high number of tickets, student wonder where is the money being spent, because many recognize potholes in just about every parking site. When asked about where the money goes, Johnson replied specifying that “Money from tickets goes to the department,” said Johnson “The department is self-sufficient and uses the money at will to fix problem such as potholes, it is rumor that parking garages will be built,” finished Johnson. Explaining the plans of building a parking garage Johnson goes on to say “There are some talks about building parking garages, parking lots are approximately about 15,000 dollars a space. It’s mostly a fact of sufficient funds, said Johnson. The best advice is that students should arrive earlier than their scheduled class to avoid the constant battle for a convenient parking. Until the student body accommodates all available parking no future accommodations will be made. Students should look forward to all current parking to be perfected in the coming semesters. For any more information on parking violation or designated parking sites please visit http://www3.subr.edu/supd/.