There is more than enough student parking on campus, despite what many SBU students think.
I do not think the column that appeared in last week’s issue of The Bona Venture accurately depicted parking for students on campus. Students should realize there is more than enough parking on campus for them. They should not get irritated if they have to walk more than a few dozen steps from their parked cars to their academic building or dorm.
On behalf of the Student Government Association (SGA), I can assure you that we continue to partner with Safety and security to analyze parking and traffic patterns on campus. In 2012, we drove around with Security and found that during peak class times, there were 163 open parking spaces available for students on the West Side of campus alone.
It is no surprise the prime parking in the lot directly behind Plassmann Hall (Lot D) had only two open spots during the busiest period in the late morning. However, there were 25 parking spots open on average in Lot E, located southwest of Plassmann, and 136 open parking spots available near the outdoor tennis courts (Lot C, or the ‘old’ freshman parking lot). In addition, the entire parking lot behind the maintenance building, which is overflow parking for the entire campus community, was not even used.
There is indeed enough student parking. However, in my experiences, students automatically assume there is not enough parking when their prime parking lot behind Plassmann is full. Any one of the student parking lots are within a three-to-four minute walk to any of the academic buildings on the West Side of campus. The walk between any residence hall on main campus and the student parking lot is not much more.
The SGA and Safety and Security have also analyzed other college campus parking systems. At Niagara University, there are two main “open lots” available for students to park in. Neither of these lots are anywhere close to their main academic buildings and residence halls. At Canisius College, you have to deal with city parking or park in a garage. Bona’s parking options are much better off than these schools.
I commend SBU as a whole for being fiscally responsible and not wasting money on unnecessary parking lots. After all, our campus is gorgeous, especially as we head into spring. Why ruin having one of largest college front lawns in the country by replacing it with a parking lot?
Parking lots are also expensive to create and maintain. According to estimates given to the university, 100 new asphalt parking places would cost $150,000, and lighting and access to the lot would cost an extra $50,000. A new parking garage is even more expensive. A 100-space parking garage would cost the university $1.5-$2 million.
Parking is also relatively cheap compared to most schools. A full-time undergraduate student parking pass costs only $110 per year. This is less than half the cost of most SUNY schools and other small private universities. We should not complain, because SBU is doing us a favor by not charging us $500 to keep a car on campus for a school year like many other college campuses.
The SGA will closely continue to monitor any parking issues or concerns in the future in accordance with the university’s master plan, “Becoming Extraordinary 2015.” If enrollment is expected to follow the master plan, future parking needs may be addressed.
As far as the new athletic strategic plan goes, the university does not anticipate a large enough increase in fan attendance to build another visitor lot, especially if the lot behind the maintenance building is not being used. The only exception would be for basketball games.
We have enough parking on campus. You may need to walk a few minutes, but parking for students is much closer than that of many other universities. Our parking is also cheaper than most colleges, so we should all be thankful for that.
-Robbie Chulick, ‘13
Secretary, Student Government Association
