Megan Grenier
Equinox Staff
Students with commuter lot parking permits are finding it hard to access spots in the lot behind the L.P. Young Student Center.
The cost to obtain a parking permit in the commuter lot is $125 for the entire year. Senior Annie Kelsey said that she finds the passes too expensive, adding it’s hard to find a spot in the lot closest to the classroom buildings.
Photo Illustration / Emma Contic
Students with on-campus parking passes find parking a challenge. Faculty, too, express difficulty in finding spots before classes. Parking Operations Coordinator Jazmin Kellis reminds students of the availability in the Winchester lot.
It’s not only that the commuter lot is overly expensive that students cite as their reason for not purchasing a parking pass; some students choose to walk farther to access their car than to buy a pass, such as junior Kristen Connelly. Connelly said she parks her car at a friend’s house off campus because parking is too expensive for her.
Parking Operations Coordinator Jazmin Kellis said students should be aware that the Winchester lot is available for overflow of the commuter lot and for the faculty and staff lots on campus.
Kellis said that there is also not enough faculty and staff spots for the amount of faculty and staff at Keene State College.
KSC Psychology Professor Nashla Feres, said, “What I’ve noticed and what I’ve heard from other people who have issues is that if you’re not here by 7:30 a.m., that parking is completely full.”
Feres added that when she comes in around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. there are usually one or two open spots but said that she has also been late for her lectures due to the lack of open parking spots.
Feres continued, “Because I’m coming at [2 p.m.], a lot of people leave for lunch, so when people leave for lunch then a couple of spots open up, so sometimes that’s helpful but still, it definitely is not wide open unless I’m here real early.”
Feres said she used to work at Campbell University in North Carolina. Touching on this subject Feres said that while teaching at Campbell she had to buy a parking permit for around $300.
At KSC faculty park for free. Feres added that there were also no parking spots available at most times at the previous university she worked for.
“I think that all schools, all universities have parking issues and it’s a problem especially in the small towns,” Feres said.
Feres said she thinks that the fact schools are accepting more people than the amount of people leaving contributes to the parking issues. “They’re taking in more people, new students and not adding anymore parking,” Feres said.
Kelsey said she thinks KSC should expand the commuter parking spots so that the frustration in finding a spot would no longer be an issue.
The senior explained, “I alter my schedule around the availability of the parking lot. So I’ll go in two hours early to get a spot despite my class schedule.”
Kelsey also noted she has never had a situation where she wasn’t able to find a spot, but that’s because she makes it that way.
Junior Kirsten Vredenburgh said, “Finding parking in the commuter lot around noon is almost impossible, I’ve circled the lot several times before finding a spot. I’ve been late to class before due to there being delayed snow removal.”
Junior Kristen Weidmann noted, “The parking sucks. It’s miserable.”
Kellis added, “Commuter passes are sold at a market industry standard of 1.8 to 2 permits per space, and that’s because commuters come and go and that’s college industry standard.” Kellis also said that KSC has sold the maximum amount of commuter passes. “If people are worried about getting an oversell of the lot that won’t happen because we won’t be selling anymore spaces for this semester,” Kellis said. Commuter parking is not the only issue on campus when it comes to parking passes.
Junior Jessica Corkery said that she purchased an Owls Nest parking pass over a Winchester Street parking pass in order to feel safe at night walking home.
“A lot of times when I do take my car it’s because it is dark out. The closer walk I have the more at ease I feel, especially when I walk alone,” Corkery said. Kellis said that she is more than happy to help with people who have complaints.
Megan Grenier can be contacted at
mgrenier@keene-equinox.com