By: Anna Carpenter
Opinion Editor
As I began my fourth semester at Wingate, one of the first things I’ve
noticed has been the increased parking turmoil. For the lots near the back
of campus—including Watson Village, South Village and the spaces behind
the library—parking has been tighter than ever.
While this is due in part to an increase in the student population, there
have been other changes that have negatively impacted students here on
campus.
To begin with, many of the spaces around the border of the Watson Village
lot have been changed from residential and commuter spaces to faculty and
staff spaces. Despite the fact that those spaces border two large faculty and
staff lots and that students living in Watson Village have been voicing their
parking complaints for years, university officials decided to go ahead with
the change.
Secondly, Wingate Baptist Church has reclaimed its lot behind North Main
Street. Because the lot in front of the Neu Building is for faculty and staff
only, the church’s lot was where many commuters parked for their classes
in that building. It also served as an overflow lot for Watson Village and
South Village.
However, at the beginning of the semester, the church has taken great
efforts to keep Wingate students out of that lot, putting up chains and signs
threatening to tow any violators. Meanwhile, the lot sits empty as students
circle the campus in hopes of finding a place to leave their cars.
With these two new restrictions, students have been forced to relocate into
the already-full lots behind the library and South Village. Trying to find a
spot in those lots is like trying to find a needle in a haystack and can only be
achieved through knowing the right time to snag one and having luck on
your side.
That’s not to say that parking is impossible on campus. There are many lots
that do have ample parking, but they are not convenient to the majority of
students. There is typically parking in the back of the lot by the W.T. Harris
Dining Hall, yet for students who live in Watson Village or South Village, it
is unrealistic to consistently expect them to journey across campus just to
get to their apartments.
Students should be able to park where they live without spending their time
circling campus time and again, settling for a space across campus and then
rushing to move their car when a space opens up. What’s more, commuters
should not have to make themselves late for class driving in circles hoping
that they’ll be lucky enough to find a convenient space and be on time for
class.
This raises another issue. With the feeling of desperation that comes with
spending up to 20 minutes finding a place to park, there also comes the
feeling of apathy toward parking regulations. Almost every day, students
resort to parking in crosswalks, on pine straw and even handicapped
spaces. The possibility of getting a ticket is overshadowed by the fear of
missing a test or showing up late to an important lecture.
I, along with many others, know this feeling all too well. As someone who
lives by that South Village lot and frequently drives back to Charlotte on
weekends, the Monday morning parking battle is exhausting. I have been
on campus more than 10 minutes before my class begins, only to walk into
class five minutes late, having circled the campus for 15 minutes before
resorting to parking in a crosswalk. Other days, I’ll be running late but find
a legal spot immediately and get to class early.
Parking at Wingate University should not be a gamble nor a lucky luxury. If
students have to pay for parking and housing, they should be able to
consistently park where they live. While many larger campuses make
students walk over a mile to class, Wingate is too small of a school to justify
such a trek.
Students at Wingate have made their voices heard repeatedly about this problem and the response from the administration has been to take more of our parking away. We deserve the convenience that we pay for every semester and to not fix this issue as it worsens is not fair to the student body.
Wingate Triangle 