NewsLab

Some St. Scholastica students and faculty members got a late start to the new school year as they searched for parking on the CSS campus.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, every campus parking lot was full and campus security officers were forced to begin directing drivers to park alongside the roadways.

Many students were surprised that additional parking was needed so early in the day. 

CSS senior Jeff Adams said, "Cars were parked on the road from the furthest-back lot, all the way up to Willow," referring to the Willow apartment building, about three blocks away from the most remote campus parking lot.

Business office accounting assistant Barb Hohl said about 1,890 parking passes have been sold, but Safety and Security manager Michael Turner said there are only 1,433 parking spaces on campus.

Turner pointed out another important thing to consider. "Not all the cars are here at one time," Turner said. In addition, the CSS parking policy states, "The fee paid is a registration fee and not a guarantee of a parking space."

A guarantee for drivers did come from security supervisor Randy Reid, however, who said, "The college will not ticket people parked on the road for overflow parking."

According to the CSS parking policy, parking on the roadway carries a $25 fine. Security did begin ticketing drivers for other parking violations on Sept. 21.

Sophomore Andres Witrak, a bicyclist, has more reasons than avoiding the hassle of parking for not driving to CSS.

"I save money on gas, car insurance, and it's quicker than finding a parking spot," Witrak said. He also pointed out that bicyclists do not need to purchase parking permits, thus saving more money.

Witrak said he will begin walking to school when winter arrives, provided "it's not too bad outside." The snow will undoubtedly limit overflow parking, but Turner did not seem worried.

"It was expected to have heavy parking in the first few weeks of the fall semester, but it tapers off fairly quickly," Turner said. "When we see snow, the overflow parking is usually eliminated by that time of year."