This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.<\/p>\n
The parking issue on college campuses isn\u2019t anything new. Every student with a car has gone through the painful process of circling the garages like an eagle hunting its prey, hoping a random pedestrian will guide them to their soon-to-be vacant spot.<\/p>\n
As of lately, though, parking has gone from frustrating to nearly impossible. While FSU\u2019s scholarly programs continue to improve and the student population grows, parking on-campus has taken a turn for the worse.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 6, the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence<\/a> opened, marking the beginning of a new and improved business program that FSU has been developing for decades. While this is an incredible advancement for FSU as a whole, putting FSU\u2019s School of Business on Niche\u2019s Top 10 List<\/a>, it has severely impacted traffic and parking. Even more so for students living in College Town.<\/p>\n The new College of Business (COB) building can be found on the outskirts of campus, right down the road from College Town. Honestly, it should probably be considered off-campus. Since the building is so far from the central part of campus, the swarm of students driving to and from class is enough to clog both the streets and garages nearby. The paved lot attached to the COB is reserved solely for teachers and faculty, forcing students to get creative with their parking spots<\/a>.<\/p>\n For students with classes in the COB, it\u2019s easiest to park in the Civic Center parking lot, St. Augustine Garage, or the gravel lot next to the faculty parking. While it seems like there are plenty of options for student parking, it\u2019s important to remember that business students aren\u2019t the only ones trying to park.<\/p>\n Commuting students and students with classes across campus also have to compete for parking, and the growing population of FSU students has impacted more than just the lots around the new COB. Almost every day, I hear horror stories of students being late to, or even completely missing, their classes and internships. For the first few weeks after the new COB opened, the civic center would frequently close its parking lot for events, heightening students\u2019 desperation.<\/p>\n The new COB is just a small portion of the problem, though. The exponentially growing student population plays a huge role in the parking shortage. As a Gaines Street resident myself, I\u2019ve had to fight tooth and nail to find parking in the once wide-open St. Augustine Garage \u2014 and that\u2019s just for daytime parking.<\/p>\n Overnight parking is a whole other conversation. In St. Augustine Garage, my garage of choice, students with a regular parking permit are allowed to park on the roof and the ramp leading up to it overnight. This leaves the other four floors open. With only one floor and two ramps to park on, many College Town students face a lose-lose situation: spend hours searching for a parking spot or take the $50 ticket for parking on the wrong floor.<\/p>\n You may be wondering why students don\u2019t just go to a different parking garage with more overnight parking, like the West Pensacola Garage. While you make a good point, unfortunately, the parking plague has spread to even the largest garages.<\/p>\n Just last week, I scoured the seven floors of West Pensacola Garage for overnight parking, only to leave with my dreams crushed. I spent the next 45 minutes driving to Call Street Garage, Traditions, and even the FSU Circus lot \u2014 all to no avail. I ended up taking the loss and accepting my $50 fate, just like so many FSU students.<\/p>\n The current parking crisis has me reminiscing about last Fall, when parking tickets were only $30. At this point, it may be worth paying the extra $415 per year for a Student Virtual Reserved (VRES)<\/a> parking permit. I\u2019ve already racked up $150 worth of parking tickets this school year, and if the parking shortage continues, I can guarantee there will be\u00a0more to come. Without some parking policy changes, this issue will only continue to grow.<\/p>\n We can only hope that FSU will consider addressing this issue, whether by opening more floors for overnight parking, making more lots available to students, or even adding another parking garage near the new COB. The only thing I can say to my fellow struggling students is to use the free Lyft services<\/a> to your advantage. <\/p>\n Happy parking, and good luck!<\/p>\n Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, and Pinterest<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t