Parking becomes inconvenient but still available

Norwich University has added parking on campus making this "the best parking situation we've had in a number of years," according to Norwich University's chief of security.

"This is the best parking situation we've had in a number of years, because of South Hall," said Michael Abraham, Norwich chief of security. "When South Hall was built the extra parking lot that was put in created 194 more spots."

Even with the additional parking lot, security still finds that students will try to create their own parking spaces, a move that is highly discouraged.

"The statement that there's not enough parking on campus is incorrect," Abraham said. "There may in some people's minds not be enough convenient parking." This is due to the fact that the majority of commuter students are forced to park in the outer regular student parking lots on a daily basis.

"We have added parking on campus in the last couple of years, we have added 156 additional parking spaces in the last couple years," said David Magida, chief administrative officer of facilities at Norwich.

"There are definitely more cars on campus, but there are empty parking spaces. The problem is that the empty parking spaces on campus are not as convenient as people would like, and because of that there is frustration."

According to Magida, "It's not correct to say that there is not available parking on campus. However, it is correct to say that the available parking especially in the mornings is not as convenient as a lot of drivers would like it to be." He went on to say that there is not a short-term solution other than limiting the amount of cars that come onto campus which he said is not fair to faculty, staff and students.

What both Magida and Abraham have noticed is that students have been to creating their own parking spots. "Please do not create your own parking space because you will get ticketed or towed," Magida said.

The school is in the midst of updating the facilities master plan which already outlines the schools plan for increasing parking on campus. Magida said, "What we are looking at now is a parking structure."  

One of the plans would place the structure above one of the lower Disney lots.

"The way the plan is presently, before we build the next phase of housing we're going to have to expand parking on campus," Magida said. The decision is up to the Board of Trustees.

Magida suggested that drivers to allow enough time in their commute to find a space before their classes.   

When asked about his experience with parking this semester Bryan White, 22, a junior engineering major from Cranston, R.I., said, "It has not been great."

"The parking is not sufficient for this many students," White said. "I see a big problem with the upcoming freshman class because there are so many of them coming on campus now." White says he has found himself parking in the back where few spaces remain because of the number of cars.

White would like to see the school work on building a parking lot "up near South Hall."