The University versus the commuter student is an age-old tale. Students have been in an uproar about the continued lack of parking for over a decade, and it’s only getting worse.
Mass communication senior Kimberly Gagnet recalls her daily struggle of driving around the Nicholson Extension lot, trying to find a spot. She even resorts to stalking fellow students as they walk to their cars.
“I kind of gestured to ask if this one girl was leaving, and she pointed to her spot and gestured that I could have it,” Gagnet said. “So I sat there for five minutes with my blinker on, and when she backed out, she went the wrong direction and the spot was opened up towards the other direction. Some big white truck sped over and whipped in as I was turning in. He almost hit me and he got the spot, too.”
Gagnet’s story is similar to my own experiences. The problem is that the campus continues to expand, but parking doesn’t expand at the same rate.
In fall 2016, the University began construction on two new projects, one on Aster Street and the other on Nicholson Drive.
The Aster Street construction, a new residence hall, took over a resident-only parking lot, so the University converted the commuter lot behind it into resident parking. That leaves only one official commuter lot on the north side of campus.
Last semester, when the majority of my classes were on the north side of campus, it was a nightmare to try and find parking. Not to mention that, because there was no warning of the Aster lot being converted, I was ticketed and towed during midterm examinations.
This is a trend for the University, which continually alienates commuter students. Though little notice was given for the changes in lots, Parking and Transportation Services jumped at the chance to tow and ticket cars in the Aster lot.
Students in the music and dramatic arts building banded together, sending out warnings when they saw campus police and making sure everyone knew about changes to parking rules.
When asked about his feelings toward University communication with commuter students, theatre sophomore Jordan Johnston said he didn’t feel there was much.
“How about that time they closed my old parking lot on Nicholson, about 200 spots, with no warning?” Johnston said.
The Nicholson parking lot makes way for the University’s expansion of on-campus housing. These luxury apartments will be for upperclassmen and graduate students, showing that they’re trying to bring students back to living on campus.
Out of the 30,000 students at the University, only about 6,000 live on campus. This is due to a lack of available beds and the expensive nature of dormitories. With TOPS defunded, students are having to pay higher rates on tuition. If we couldn’t afford on or near campus housing before, we definitely can’t now.
It baffles me that the University continues to put resources toward parking lots instead of garages, which would offer more spaces. However, parking and the needs of commuters are the last things on the minds of the administration.
If alleviating the concerns of commuters is a priority, administrations need to look at cost. If housing on and around campus were less expensive, more students would use the opportunity to avoid traffic and hellish parking.
I know I would, as the hour drive from Prairieville to Baton Rouge every day puts more stress on me than I’m capable of dealing with, and having to wake up at 6:30 to make a 9 a.m. class gets exhausting. Plus, statistics show living on or near campus improves student performance through access to amenities offered by the University like the library and research facilities. It is a convenience I wish I could afford, but costly housing means sitting through traffic and fighting for a parking spot are my only options.
Abbie Shull is a 23-year-old mass communication junior from St. Louis, Missouri.

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Augustus Stark

New apartments for upperclassmen and graduate students are being built on an old commuter parking lot on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 along Nicholson Drive.