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Commuters complain about parking

By Nathan Holt

On October 21, 2009

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Some Norwich University commuter students say that there is not an adequate number of parking spaces on campus set aside for commuter students, which is forcing people to park inconveniently far from the academic buildings.

"I am not saying that there should be 300 plus spots to suit every commuter, everybody doesn't need their personal spot, but there should be enough that commuters can actually get a spot," said Charles Maxwell, 21, a senior business major from Rochester, N.Y.

Michael Abraham, Norwich's chief of security, disagrees.

"As of right now there are empty parking spots in lots. The only people who complain are the people who have to walk. There is always parking, is it convenient parking, not necessarily, but it depends on your level of convenience. If a five-minute walk is not a problem for you then there is plenty of convenient parking all over campus," said Abraham.

"I issue more parking passes than I have parking spaces," Abraham said. There has never been a situation where people did not have a place to park; even on the busiest days of the week there are still open spots, he said.

On campus there are 233 commuter spots and 900 total spaces, according to Abraham.

Although resident students are only allowed to park in lots B, C and D, they still park in the commuter lots, according to Abraham, and commuters are allowed to park in any lot except for faculty staff lots. "Every student lot is a commuter lot, there are more commuter spots than any other kind of parking," Abraham said.

Commuters say that the reality of the situation is that the majority of commuter students are not going to get to Norwich a half hour earlier than their class time just to find a parking spot. If a commuter arrives to school later than 8 a.m., they will most likely find space only in lot B, C or D because the Plumley Armory parking lot and lot E are always full, said Paige Westcott, 20, a junior communications major from Lancaster, N.H..

According to Abraham, there are no plans to add more commuter parking places. "There is still in the works a plan to take lot D and put another level over the top of it," Abraham said.

Norwich security tries to concentrate on the faculty staff lots so they can get in and park, Abraham said. "The only people getting ticketed and towed are those students who are parking in the faculty staff lots and if they are properly registered then I tow them to a student lot," Abraham said.

Students question this. Maxwell as well as others had his car towed from lot C to lot B last school year.

Norwich security told Maxwell that they were not required to inform students if their vehicle is moved.

Some students are outraged with how security handles ticketing and towing.

"You can appeal a ticket but it is never going to pass. I have gone down there with my ticket and explained to Abraham what actually happened and he completely wrote me off, was very rude and didn't even look at me," said a Norwich student who asked not to be named.

Westcott had a similar situation at the beginning of the school year. She had parked in lot A one morning while running a few minutes behind. She did not have time to drive around all the student lots trying to find a parking space. After her one class, she returned to lot A to see a ticket, tow truck and a Norwich Security officer standing by her car.

"I was so upset about the situation. I had parked there only for 45 minutes and half the lot was taken by commuter students so I didn't think anything of it," Westcott said. "If Norwich security had just given me a ticket, I would have not parked there again. Towing my car when I hadn't even seen my ticket yet is not right and frankly ridiculous; if you were going to tow my car, then tow the other 20 commuter cars while you've got the tow truck there and get your money's worth."

"Common sense is absolutely unheard of, I'm not a believer in common sense when it comes to parking," Abraham said. By this time if students still have not registered, they are getting one $25 ticket a week, Abraham said.

According to Westcott, there should be a new system for Norwich parking. Instead of a haphazard way of doing things there should be a standard. "After a student receives a set number of parking tickets, say three, then Norwich should call the tow company," Westcott said.