From the desk
My little grey SUV felt more like a monster truck as I tried to maneuver myself through the 15-vehicle traffic jam that had, so conveniently, placed itself in the middle of the parking lot. Horns beeping, freshmen dodging angry seniors—not unlike myself—and too many skateboarders reminded me that today was the first day back at Liberty University.
As I finally decided to venture out into the unknown—that is, the farthest parking space available—I knew I was going to have to book-it in order to make it to my class on the third floor of DeMoss on time.
Ignoring the fact that I felt, and probably looked, like a freshman—no offense to the freshmen, we love you dearly—carrying everything I own, including my lunch and coffee, into the building, I quickly made my way to the closest staircase. It was there that I was reminded of my freshly sprained ankle, thanks to a lovely hike up Devils Marble Yard, and the warmth of my coffee as I tripped up the stairs spilling it all over myself.
Finally on the third floor, I realized 10 minutes too late that I had written down the wrong room numbers.
Needless to say, it was a great start to my senior year. Throbbing ankle, road-rage hangover, coffee-stained jeans and 15 minutes late.
Although, it may seem easy to bash the administration because there seems to be no end in site for the parking dilemma, which arguably kick-started my 25-minute melt down, I decided, rather, to see how parking at other institutions works.
After researching James Madison University, University of Virginia and Regent University, I found that Liberty does have a problem, but the question is, is it one that can be solved?
“People are so accustomed to their ways that they don’t wanna put in the extra time and effort to walk,” senior Bethany Smith said. “ I think that more parking lots are necessary, but where the administration would be forced to put them may not be a convenient central location.”
JMU, UVA and Regent all have stricter parking policies than Liberty, which may be a large part of the problem.
At Liberty, freshmen are allowed to bring vehicles, something not true of most universities our size. We are also given the opportunity to park in close vicinity to academic buildings, which is unlike the previously mentioned universities.
In the end, what we have to understand is that there is never going to be a way to appease all of the masses. Someone is going to be upset, whether we prohibit certain vehicles from campus, build a parking garage or create more lots farther away.
Sooner or later the parking issue will finally be addressed, and the relentless complainers will hopefully be silenced. Until then, I will count my blessings — and leave 45 minutes early for class.