{"id":203748,"date":"2026-03-24T10:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/203748\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T10:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:53:59","slug":"usfs-parking-garages-are-cultural-hubs-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/203748\/","title":{"rendered":"USF\u2019s parking garages are cultural hubs on campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>The parking garages on campus are places for students to congregate and are essential for campus culture. ORACLE PHOTO\/THOMAS MARRS<\/p>\n

Crescent Hill Parking Garage is a place I\u2019ve been many times since starting as a student at USF. I\u2019ve gone up there to study, watch bands practice or just look at the stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I know for a fact that I\u2019m not the only one, as I\u2019m never alone when I go to Crescent Hill. There are always other people relaxing, practicing instruments or doing whatever.<\/p>\n

As a matter of fact, this isn\u2019t just exclusive to Crescent Hill. All of the parking garages at USF have people using them for activities outside of parking.<\/p>\n

USF\u2019s parking garages are centers of activity and culture on campus, because they\u2019re landmarks and provide students with places to hang out after classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: USF\u2019s music scene is the lifeblood of the campus<\/a><\/p>\n

The loudest aspect of the parking garages being used as cultural hubs is the bands that practice there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Almost every night, I can go outside and hear guitars, bass, drums and vocals serenade the air, all coming from Crescent Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Without parking garages, bands wouldn\u2019t have a central location to practice or spread awareness of their music by playing in places where everybody on campus can hear them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There have been a few nights my roommate and I overheard bands practicing and went out of our way to Crescent Hill to watch and listen to who was practicing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But non-rock bands aren\u2019t the only musicians who practice on top of parking garages on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve overheard the Heard of Thunder<\/a>, USF\u2019s marching band, practice atop the Collins Boulevard Garage, and I\u2019ve seen a couple of DJs practice there as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But bands and music aren\u2019t the only things that the parking garages are good for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I talked to other USF students on social media to see what other ways they have seen the parking garages used besides parking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There were so many more ways than what I\u2019ve seen, and it honestly blew me away at how great the parking garages on campus are for activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skateboarding culture is big in the parking garages, as many people I talked to are part of that community and have seen skaters at and around them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The same was said for dance rehearsals, photoshoots and table top activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another major use of the parking garages is for religious gatherings, with the Muslim Student Association<\/a> often organizing prayers there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But unfortunately, the parking garages are not perfect pillars of culture. There\u2019s a mix of good and bad, just like everything on this campus.<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: USF students shouldn\u2019t have to pray through hate<\/a><\/p>\n

One example involves the incident in which MSA members were needlessly harassed<\/a> during a prayer event at the Collins Boulevard Garage in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the perpetrators have since been charged<\/a> with criminal misdemeanors for disturbing a religious assembly and disorderly conduct.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What happened to these students was terrible and inexcusable. USF\u2019s parking garages should be a place for everybody to do anything as long as it doesn\u2019t cause harm or danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another example is when a concert<\/a> atop Crescent Hill was shut down by University Police earlier this semester.<\/p>\n

I was attending the event, and the officer said it had to be shut down for safety and regulatory reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event was moved to an off-campus location, allowing the festivities to continue and demonstrating our student body\u2019s perseverance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the incidents I\u2019ve listed, it\u2019s clear to see that USF\u2019s parking garages are far from sunshine and rainbows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, they\u2019ve unintentionally become a hub for all things good and bad about USF \u2014 perseverance, fun, music and parking hell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t