BY DAVID SCIBILIA, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Andrew Fox, a freshman cybersecurity major, slung the last of his clothes from home over his shoulder and prepared to walk back to his dorm in Falconio Hall. Unable to get a spot closer to his residence hall, Fox was forced to park by central receiving.
Describing the parking situation on campus as, “inefficient at best.” Fox and others feel dissatisfied with the parking spots they get on campus. Michael Zicari, a freshman accounting major said, “Only 10 to 20 percent of the time do I get a spot that I’m satisfied with.”
Having to walk across campus while carrying heavy items seems to be the greatest concern among students.
“After setting my clothes down, I had a deep red mark along my back from where the bag was lying against,” Fox said. “I would’ve parked in the unloading spots, but they were already full.”
But some do not see parking on campus as an issue.
Connor Raine, a junior sports management major, SGA President, and participant on the Parking Committee, does not believe parking to be more of an issue this year than in years prior.
“This has been something that has been an issue for a while,” Raine said. “Overall, though, there are enough parking spots for all students. The tennis courts are further away, but it’s significantly closer than most campuses, even at the farthest distance.”
Along the same line, Gary Segrue, associate dean for Campus Safety and Security, says that “students and staff should plan their day accordingly and, depending on the time of day, be prepared for a short walk to their destination.”
Despite the largest freshman class in 20 years, the 2022-2023 school year has sold the fewest number of parking passes in recent years, sitting at 923. In comparison, the 2021-2022 school year sold 1111, the 2020-2021 school year sold 1091, and the 2019-2020 school year sold 1123.
In addition to this, Segrue said, “We have issued fewer parking citations this year compared to previous years. We have had fewer issues in our more problematic parking areas as well.”
St. Bonaventure addressed the lack of parking when they constructed a new lot between the Administration Building and Doyle Hall back at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. This lot, known as “Lot L”, serves as the closest possible parking to Doyle, Falconio, Robinson, and Devereux Halls—four of the six residence halls on campus.
But there are changes to come in the future. On Sept. 12, 2022, Bonaventure unveiled the first look at a campaign called “A Bolder Bonaventure: Ignite. Inspire. Invest.” A part of this campaign hopes to transform the athletic facilities on campus by 2025, meaning that parking lots will have to be altered as well.
Because of this, Raine said, “They’re not going to fix the current situation of students right now. But down the line [with this campaign], there is an opportunity for parking changes, possibly reformatting lots and making them in better interest to both the faculty and the students.”
Some students will need to continue to park by central receiving or by the tennis courts until alterations can be made. If a student has a specific question or concern about parking on campus they can contact Raine who will do “whatever it takes to make sure that the issue is fixed, if it can be.”
