A common complaint expressed by the student population at FSU is the availability and assignment of parking spaces. Residents often express that there is not enough space for overnight parking in certain areas on campus, while commuters express their frustrations with limited parking during the week. Some residents on campus believe that the assignment of staff parking is too excessive and limits the amount of spaces available for residents during the week.
A common issue raised by some residents was the lack of parking in the Aubuchon North 1 lot and the Upper Cedar Lot for Townhouse and Mara. Resident Vincent Hussey-Cequerial mentioned there’s not enough “places to park around my dorm building that can support all the students who have their cars on campus.” Nick Piccatto mentioned there is “almost guaranteed to not get a parking spot on weekdays.” Concern about the current parking policy on snow removal days was raised. More specifically, a resident found the policy of moving a resident’s car back to their designated lot at seven a.m. the day after plowing to be inconvenient and suggested that a time later in the day would be more satisfactory.
Commuters also spoke about having limited parking, but to a lesser degree. Commuters were more concerned about the limited areas they could park near the academic buildings. Kayo Rosse commented that the “amount of staff parking areas left limited areas for commuters and kept the designated parking for commuters congested during the day.” The Lower Cedar lot was a point of contention for residents for the same reason. Residents found Lower Cedar being staff parking inconvenient and significantly worsening the availability of space for townhouse residents.From both residents’ and commuters’ perspectives, the availability and location of parking lots designated to them were concerns and areas that needed improvement. Most of the students interviewed were not sure how to solve the issue realistically.
The limited space available makes finding a solution difficult; however, if students offer solution-oriented criticisms, a conversation with the administration could be possible. A pragmatic solution that works within the means of the parking space currently available is capable of improving the experience of students at Fitchburg State and bolstering the positive experiences here.
