Mae MarshallN.C. Central University has seen an increase in enrollment this fall, leading to concerns from students surrounding the availability of parking on campus. Designated student zones fill up quickly each morning, leaving students who arrive after 9 a.m. circling the Latham parking deck, in search of an empty space.
Earlier this semester, the NCCU parking services announced that they would be implementing a new parking permit waitlist, requiring that students first apply to a waitlist for either a semester long parking permit or annual parking permit.
A parking permit at NCCU costs $175 per semester and $350 per year; however, this does not guarantee a parking spot. According to the campus parking map, only eight of the 33 listed parking lots are available to students, excluding metered spaces.
For students, the shortage brings a number of challenges to daily routines.
Junior mass communications student David Garcia lives five minutes from campus. Yet, on the first day of the semester, he missed the start of his first class after failing to find an open space.
“It’s frustrating to drive by empty parking spaces that can’t be used because they are reserved for staff,” Garcia said.
He suggests NCCU parking administration could ease heavy congestion by adapting underutilized employee zones into flexible student parking during peak hours, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Rather than creating a temporary fix, Camille Leak, junior criminal justice student, said she feels as though the freshman class takes up not only a large part of housing, but campus parking. She adds that there are many resources for students to use instead — such as the buses and campus shuttle service.
She said that she thinks the university should no longer allow freshmen to have cars.
Tyler Richardson, sophomore mass communications student agrees with Leak and Garcia. He said parking on campus as a commuter student leaves him looking for answers from campus police.
“It’s a headache finding parking as a commuter,” Richardson said. “Usually as a last resort I ask the police for suggestions.”
He added that he arrives on campus almost an hour early every day to ensure he can get parking, adding extra time to his already 45-minute commute in the morning — after his experience of being late twice the first week of school.
NCCU Parking Service did not respond in a timely manner for comment on what the waitlist is hoping to achieve.
It remains unclear whether the newly implemented waitlist will provide relief to parking congestion or if students will continue to struggle with parking on campus.
