Parked safely
Administration creates individual student parking spots
photo by Justin Baronoff
The lot is divided into different sections with 444 total spaces. The first digit in each number marks which section the spot is in. This helps administration get to a specific spot quickly if needed.
The days of searching for a parking spot, fighting for the best space every morning before school and getting a spot without a tag are over. The student parking lot will now have designated spots to make the lot more streamlined. This will now hopefully make the lot a little safer. Vehicles will also no longer be parked on the side of the lot. These changes are due to the athletic department now being in charge of the parking lot.
In late May, the change to designated spots were officially announced through the school website. Due to reassignment of responsibilities, the athletic department was put in charge of enforcing the student parking lot.
With the new attendance policy, students who receive nine unexcused absences in a class during a semester will be denied credit to that class and their parking privileges. Getty will meet with students who have surpassed the absence limit to discuss the process of revoking their parking pass in order to give the spot to the first person on the waiting list.
“We needed to address the excessive number of vehicles [parked] in the lot that were not issued passes on a regular basis,” athletic director Jay Getty said.
Along with the individual spot designation, administration will be less lenient by towing any vehicles out of its place without any warning, which has caused some students to question the decision.
“I just think it’s uncalled for,” junior Sean McGrath said. “Before it was so much easier to park wherever you wanted.”
However, most students are welcoming the designated spots change.
“As soon as I heard about the change, I thought it was amazing,” junior Francesca Spadaro said. “Even though I was a sophomore last year, I knew how bad the lot was.”
These issues included the overselling of parking passes, which caused students to park along curbs, as well as long waits to get out of the parking lot.
“Last year there just wasn’t a fixed system,” senior Cameron Yap said. “Cars without a parking pass would always come in as they pleased, hoping to not get caught, but now there’s a small chance of that happening and it makes me breathe a sigh of relief.”
While this problem appears to be resolved, the towing problem may not. Although one vehicle got towed last year, Getty along with administration still decided it was time for a change.
“I still believe we may have to tow one vehicle this year, but after that first one, it will all stop,” Getty said.
Skipping class by leaving campus may also be a thing of the past, as the designated spots make the process easier of determining who is skipping.
“A lot of my friends would skip class and just drive home last year,” senior Allana Green said. “Now they’re complaining, as it seems to be a lot riskier.”
As of Aug. 5, all 444 parking spots have been filled. There are 31 students on a waiting list with new applicants being accepted throughout the year. Administration is currently working on a solution to get students in need of a parking pass a spot.
Throughout the school year, Getty believes students will quickly adjust to designated parking spots and it will become a habit.
“For this year and the future, I just hope to see an organized environment that is safe for the entire student body,” Getty said.
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