There are so many perks to living off campus. The biggest one is the fact I can actually afford to still go to school here. However, there is one glaring flaw: the commuter parking.
For the past three years whenever I heard commuters complain about parking I would brush it off since the resident lots have a lot of parking options. Boy was I wrong.
Sure, after 3 p.m. we commuters can park wherever we please until midnight. But how does that help when you have a class in Sheldon and, because there’s no parking near the building, you have to sprint from the Funnelle lot.
One giant annoyance is the electric car parking. I have seen maybe two spots used at a time. Why does there need to be seven spots? I didn’t realize we have so many environmentally conscious car buyers here at Oswego State.
People can also be real jerks when it comes to parking. For the past two weeks I have been cut off so someone could get the spot I signaled for, honked at for waiting for a spot and had a guy tell me he was leaving only to watch him walk away from his car. It’s been TWO WEEKS.
It seems like some people were not brought up with good manners. So here are a few tips: If you see someone signaling to park in a spot, don’t take the spot. If someone asks you if you’re leaving, but you’re really not, tell them you’re still using the spot. Don’t honk at someone who was lucky enough to find a spot before you did. There is no need to be rude.
I’ve contemplated getting up early to make sure I get a spot close to my classes just to walk back to my house and go back to bed. Sure, I live in walking distance, but considering the fact that I work at The Oswegonian and a majority of my friends live on campus, I don’t really want to have to walk home alone at midnight or in whatever weather Mother Nature tosses our way.
Also, commuters pay the same registration fee as residents who keep their cars on campus. Yet we’re forced to park in tiny, inconvenient lots until 3 p.m. and are forced to get a pass or leave at midnight.
Something doesn’t seem right.
The same amount of money for limited access? That’s like paying the V.I.P. price for a concert and having to sit in the mezzanine area. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
If it weren’t for the parking, my life as a commuter would be fantastic. But thanks to the brilliant designated parking areas, this year is sure to be interesting.
