Students complain about lack of parking

The first month of the semester brought new obstacles for MVNU students. With the steady increase in enrollment, parking spaces are becoming harder and harder to find.

Students living in Rosewood, Maplewood, Elmwood, Spruce and Redwood are especially struggling as their lot is consistently full. Residents are then forced to park in the Cypress lot resulting in parking violations from Campus Safety.

“I had a really hard time finding a place to park in the Rosewood lot, which is where I’m supposed to park,” said junior Noah Torralba.

He recognizes that now, four weeks in, students seem to have found their correct lots — though parking is still difficult in some areas and at certain times of the day.

The Pioneer parking lot is another troubling area and sophomore Megan Kitchen was ticketed. The Cedar and Oakwood lot, where she is supposed to park, was full leaving her no other option.

“I got back to campus at around 11 p.m., and the parking lot was completely full. I had an 8:50 a.m. class the next morning, so I parked in Pioneer lot with the intention of moving it before class. But, when I got to my car, there was already a ticket on the windshield,” Kitchen said.

MVNU administrators acknowledge the problem and are working to ensure fair treatment to all students and a resolution for the future.

“As our residential population on campus grows, so does the issue of parking spaces,” Dean of Students Aaron Quinn said, “Campus Safety, Student Life, and Facilities are currently looking at possible solutions to any identified problem parking areas on campus.”

Students are encouraged to contact Campus Safety if parking problems persist, and they may appeal a ticket if they feel there were extenuating circumstances or they were unfairly charged. To appeal, go to http://mvnu.edu/services/safety/safety.asp.

“I would continue to encourage students to contact our Campus Safety Department with any concerns about the overall parking on campus,” Quinn said, “The more information we have, the better informed decisions we can make.”