Students struggle with parking at Saint Mary’s

With six parking spaces on campus, four and a half of which are available to students and another awaiting approval from Saint Mary’s administration, parking has become a struggle lately for students with vehicles.

Some speculate on a higher number of students enrolled, or an excessive number of cars this fall semester. The answer, however, is none of the above, as Saint Mary’s saw a three percent drop in enrollment with this year’s incoming class of 2028.

Returning students find the ‘parking problem’ a hot topic of conversation, causing widespread frustration over the lack of available parking spaces. Sophomore Analycia Camarena shared her dissatisfaction with the current situation and expressed her concerns about its impact on daily life on campus.

“I feel like for the amount we paid to have our car on campus, the parking spaces are not nearly as large or close enough to our residents’ building,” Camarena said. “I have two jobs off campus and work very late, so when I get back it’s already dark. Usually all the parking spaces are full, so I always have to walk back a bit. It honestly makes me want to stay home.”

For commuting students, the price for parking passes is a base rate of $50, while on-campus residents can be expected to pay a registration fee of $200, according to the parking and traffic regulations section of the student handbook. Parking violations are also included in the parking discussions.

“Last year as a freshman I got a lot of tickets for parking in the closest lot to Regina Hall, and it took me a while to realize that because they don’t really discuss that much with you as a freshman,” Camarena said.

According to the student handbook, any student would be in violation of these fees or other regulations. The manual states that the security team has full jurisdiction to default or tow the car.

Senior Safety Director Phil Bambenek agreed that the parking problem is felt across campus.

“This year we have about forty to forty-five additional cars on campus compared to the same time last year, and that has really created a problem,” Bambenek said. “We do not restrict students from bringing cars to campus, so it is always a bit of a puzzle to see how many children come to campus with a car.”

Junior nursing student Sarah Mae Markley said her clinical and shadowing experience has made having a car on campus a necessity, making the parking problem unavoidable for her.

“My car is currently parked in Opus Lot, but it’s still quite a walk from campus, and I don’t feel like walking that far when the weather is so cold in my scrubs,” Markley said. “I use my car every day. So I have that problem almost every day, until there’s a day or two where God is on my side, and I find a place in Regina, technically the closest.

The distance between parking lots and residential buildings is also one of the main complaints from car owners on campus.

“I see a lot of places open near the dining hall on the other side of Regina and the Student Center. And can I just say that the nearest lot is a freshman dormitory? McCandless, which is a problem because I would say most of them don’t have cars on campus.”

The Student Center parking spaces are currently designated as parking spaces for faculty, staff and visitors. The second half of the Regina parking lot is considered teacher and student parking.

Bambenek explained that campus safety has taken additional measures this semester to make parking more accessible to students.

“We have made parking available in the grass areas and in the commuter car park, and we are looking into repainting car parks to expand parking a bit. And in the second semester, when students go abroad, there is always a decrease in parking demand,” says Bambenek. “So we feel like it will get better, but it’s certainly an issue that we’re keeping an eye on. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation (and) patience. It’s a bit of a tough time, and if they get into trouble, they can always call campus safety and we’ll try to find them a place to park.”