Take a stroll through the parking lots. See many spots? It comes as no surprise that parking is not exactly idyllic.
Last semester’s dramatic increase in enrollment and the PGA’s occupation of the Clark Center parking field for most of September caused a lot of stress for students rushing to class.
The college is trying learn from its mistakes. This semester there is an attempt to ensure an easier, more tranquil parking experience for new and returning students. Has it been successful?
It certainly has not been easy. “Parking continues to be a challenge,” stated Steven Siena, Chief of Police at SUNY Old Westbury. “I think that with the supply that we have, we were better able to respond to the demand in the spring based upon what we learned in the fall.”
On January 17th, President Calvin Butts emailed that there would be “sufficient parking for all campus constituents” this spring. He encouraged “those commuting to campus to consider all of these lots as you arrive on campus,” and to “allow for additional time to find a parking space.”
Many students do agree that this semester’s search for parking has improved.
“I definitely feel that the parking situation has gotten better,” said Amanda Seguna, a senior Media and Communications major. “I don’t understand why they block off the first entrance to the parking lot by the Student Union, that’s the only thing that’s kind of annoying. Otherwise, if you give yourself enough time to find parking and get to class on time, it’s so much better than last semester.”
Parking may have improved somewhat but there are still difficulties finding a spot at certain times of the day “In the fall, the greatest crunch was late morning,” said Siena. “This semester, the campus center lot is nearly to capacity by 9am.”
Some students who have experienced these “crunches” have learned to adapt their schedules to help them to avoid these parking difficulties. “I get [to class] at the easier times, but I haven’t had any trouble finding parking at 8am or around 4pm,” said Ren Mendonca, a sophomore Media and Communications major. “I can still easily find a spot at 8am, but it’s definitely fuller at that time than it used to be.” The choice seems to be between finding a spot and losing sleep.
Many students are cautiously optimistic. However, others still hope for a better solution to “crunch” time madness.
“I can gladly say now that this semester has presented a much more positive change,” stated Brandon Ellis, a sophomore Media and Communications major. “Although we have a clear problem that still needs a proper remedy, it actually feels like we have places to park this time around.”
During the Fall 2017 semester, the parking permit requirement was suspended because of the lack of spaces. Parking permits are back for Spring 2018 but the fee for the decal has been waived for a second semester.
The college has been trying hard to work through the parking problem. Still, it is important to strive for further improvements for everyone trying to get to class or work on time. “Parking has been ever so slightly improved and as beneficial as that is, change needs to happen sooner rather than later for the sake of every commuter,” stated Ellis.
The college does have plans for further expansion that will benefit commuters and faculty alike. The protests were heard and the college is acting to solve the parking problem.
“It’s important to note that the campus knows that increased enrollment will lead to a greater demand for parking and they’re responding to that and we will see expanded parking lots beginning the Fall semester of 2018,” assured Siena. “They’re going to be phased in over a period of time, but our community should ultimately see hundreds of extra parking spaces.”
These extra parking spaces will not help people standing at the train station or the bus stop. What about the shuttle service? Not everyone has a car and Old Westbury does have a lot of students, faculty and staff who are asking for a more reliable shuttle service to make it easier for everyone to get to campus without a car.
