As of the spring 2005 semester, there were nearly 8,385 students commuting daily to the campus.
For many students who commute daily to A&T’s campus, the issue of parking availability has become more of a problem and it has left many students questioning what can be done to alleviate the problem.
Abigale Kekua, a senior computer science major, commutes daily to A&T from her home in Greensboro.
“It’s definitely a problem for some students,” Kekua said. “I usually leave home well before class starts just to make sure I can find somewhere to park.”
She said that students may not be at A&T long enough to see what could be done to fix the problem, but stressed the fact that it will only get worse for underclassmen who rely on campus parking. Kekua said that mandatory commuter parking passes are useless to many students.
“Most of us are paying for a service which we are unable to use,” she said. “Students like me pay for a parking sticker, but often just can’t find anywhere to park.”
Yolanda Lesane, junior journalism and mass communications major, also commutes to campus.
“I think commuter parking is horrible,” she said. “Parking spaces are too limited in number.”
When asked about what she considers to a possible solution to the problem of campus parking, Lesane said, “The university should do all that it can to speed up the building of a parking deck.”
Lesane also mentioned the possibility of the university placing restrictions on the total number of incoming freshman and their ability to park on campus as another possible alternative.
As controversial as the issue may appear to be among some students, Lt. P.A. Feaster, Assistant Patrol Commander with the University Police Department, explained recently that a majority of these parking issues are simply attributed to the continued growth and expansion of the university.
“A&T is continually growing, and with this growth comes growing pains (referring to student parking),” Feaster said.
Feaster said that a majority of the problems many students have with campus parking comes from the university is becoming more pedestrian-friendly. Feaster roughly estimates that the total parking capacity for A&T, including reserved and handicapped spaces, is nearly 4,251, although she stated that this number is simply a rough estimate, and reflects figures from last spring.
When questioned about possible solutions to the parking issue, Feaster said that commuter students are strongly encouraged to utilize the campus shuttle system as a means of transportation between classes. Feaster said all students concerned with the issue of campus parking are more than welcome to voice their opinions to the officials at the University Police Department. She also stated that the University Police Department is constantly looking for input into what students believe the University can do to help ease the problems experienced with this issue.
The University Police Department is always open to suggestions from faculty and students regarding this issue,” she said.
- William Fair