EDITORIAL: Parking at Eastern is subpar; we want more

Staff Editorial

We’ve all been there.

You’re driving around, looking for a parking spot before class and guess how many there are? Exactly zero.

At least none close to the building you’re going to.

Or maybe you live in the Triad where there is no student parking specifically for your building, so you must park over by O’Brien Field or across the street from Lawson.

It’s not a fun walk when it’s snowing, raining or nighttime in those poorly lit areas.

There seems to be plenty of parking on campus for students, like those lots across from Lawson Hall or the lot in front of Carman Hall, which is somehow still listed as student parking, but there are not enough parking lots that are useful and feel safe for students.

We at The Daily Eastern News simply feel that there should be more practical parking spots for students on campus.

If you ever noticed, there is a whole row of staff parking spots in the back lot of Stevenson Hall.

Granted, there are several for students, but the amount designated for staff seems to be a lot.

Perhaps dividing this row in half for both staff and students would be much more efficient.

We understand that designated spots should be made for staff members, but we also believe that it should be considered that the number of students on campus, and just at Eastern alone, is far greater than the amount of staff and faculty.

There is always the option of parking in a spot with a parking meter.

Who wants to do this, though, when they paid for a parking permit and could easily park in a non-meter spot?

Obviously incorporating and building new lots is not an easy process, nor is it simple, but there has got to be a better solution to fulfill parking for everyone on campus.

Students spend an entirely ridiculous amount of time searching for a parking spot on campus when this could be much more of an easier process.

We at The Daily Eastern News urge the university to take this into account and to explore the idea of having more options to satisfy the needs of everyone who must attend classes or teach them at Eastern.