New parking regulations, construction cause growing pains

University plans for centralized classes

Rumors of parking garages, no freshman vehicle passes and additional parking lots can be heard throughout Liberty University’s campus as students, staff and faculty fight to find a spot before class.

With academic changes ushering in an increase in population in certain areas on campus, it has been unclear to many students and faculty if there will be any changes made by the administration.

With the increase in the number of classes in DeMoss Hall, there has been an increase in demand for nearby parking. Some see this as a problem.

However, according to the administration, the parking “issue” is really not an issue at all, it is simply a phase that the university must go through in order to reach the vision of the university over the next five years.

“The idea was that we wanted students to get used to going to class in one centralized area,” Vice Provost for the Graduate School and Online Programs Ronald Hawkins said.

The administration is essentially going to take the next three years to re-vamp the look and feel of the university, according to Liberty’s Director of Planning and Construction Charles Spence.

“By having taller dorms and taller classroom buildings you have more beautiful buildings but also you have more green space, but that means students are going to have to walk a bit,” Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said.

A green campus refers to more than simply the color, emphasized Falwell.

“With a $120 million transformation of campus getting under way, University planners have the challenge of designing a campus that will eventually accommodate 20,000 residential students,” Falwell said in a post on the Liberty University Facebook page. “Universities of our size and larger have become pedestrian-friendly campuses. Green spaces, like the lawn at the University of Virginia, take precedence over asphalt and heavy traffic.”

Through the major changes in the parking and vehicle registration, the university is attempting to lower the number of cars that are on the campus at all times.

“The reason we are charging $300 is not to make money, it is actually to discourage students from bringing their vehicles on campus,” Falwell said.

“We are seeking your help in reinventing how we view the use of automobiles and buses on campus,” Falwell said in the Facebook post. “Even though we constructed hundreds of new parking spaces this summer, it is not possible, with our size, for everyone to be entitled to a parking space near their classroom and workspace, especially if we are going to continue to grow in the future.”

Many students have raised questions about a parking garage, or freshman possibly not having their cars on campus. However, the administration warns that neither of these will actually solve any of the current issues.

The administration warns that neither a parking garage nor prohibiting freshman from bringing cars on campus would actually solve the current challenge.

“The cost of decals would go up $70 if freshmen were not allowed to bring cars,” Richard Martin, Liberty’s director of financial research, said.

“A parking garage centrally-located on campus would create traffic gridlock on Liberty’s small, two-lane roads,” Falwell said. “Thousands of cars would have to enter and leave campus each day in addition to the existing traffic.”

The administration plans to add new parking lots along the perimeter of the university as it is going through the changes over the next three years, moving most, if not all, parking to the outskirts.

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