By Priti Malik
By this time of the year commuters have developed a routine or plan of action to find parking so they can get to class on time.
Melissa Goldberg, a senior, shared her method. “I come to school very early just so I can get a good parking spot. I’ll wait in the Breslin parking lot for someone to pull out.”
Goldberg’s strategy is conducive with a recent survey of available parking on the south side of campus. The survey covered the parking lot behind C.V. Starr, the commuter parking lot and the three smaller parking lots between California Avenue and Meadowbrook Place. It was conducted at three different times throughout the day.
At 8:50 a.m. on a Monday in the parking lot behind C.V. Starr, there were close to 100 parking spots empty. In the commuter parking lot there were 33 parking spots empty and among the three smaller parking lots, the one on Meadowbrook Place was almost entirely empty. By 9:15 a.m., C.V. Starr still had quite a few spots empty, but the commuter parking lot had none left.
The next survey was taken at 10:50 a.m. on a Tuesday. There were no spots available in the parking lot behind C.V. Starr and also none in the three smaller parking lots. Due to the commuter parking lot being full, a line had formed by the entrance of the parking lot.
“If you have an early class, like at 8 a.m., it’s the only time you can get a spot on the south side, ” said Alyssa Bisnauth, a sophomore.
The third time slot in which this survey was conducted was at 1 p.m. on a Monday. In the commuter parking lot there were six spots empty. In the parking lot behind C.V. Starr there were 18 spots empty. And among the three smaller parking lots there were a combined total of two open spots.
Compared to the early morning parking situations, afternoon parking is the next best thing. But as the survey was being taken at 10:50 a.m., there were many students who were lined up in different parts of the parking lots, waiting for other students to get out of class and pull out. This period of time could be called “the change.” This is the time between when a class ends and the next class starts. The chances of getting a spot during the time in between classes are very good.
But not all students dare take the chance of waiting for someone to pull out. “I drive around once and if there’s no parking, I go to the north side and walk because I don’t want to be late, ” said Bisnauth.
Senior Alyssa Dunn does not mind taking a walk either. “If I come to school later in the day, I end up parking by the education building and just walking over.”
Arianne Romeo, the Director of Commuting Student Affairs, encourages commuters to park on the north side of campus. “The Student Center is the heart of Hofstra University. You can find out information about what events are going on by walking through here.” Romeo also said that she recognized the frustration of students but added that the University is one of the few schools to allow first-year students to have cars on campus as well as not charge for parking. Although that means more cars to accommodate on campus, this is something that Romeo does not want to take away.
However, not all students are ready to park on the other side. Jennifer Smith, a sophomore, says, “I would never park on the north side because it’s too far. Tuesdays and Thursdays I park two blocks away from California Avenue since my class is at 11:10 a.m. and the commuter parking lot is always packed.”
Other students, such as Kayley Oshan, a junior, are also frustrated with the amount of time it takes to find a parking spot on campus. “As a commuter if I want to get a parking spot I have to leave where I live at least 30 to 45 minutes before my class starts in the morning. I think it’s ridiculous that someone who lives five minutes from campus should have to do that.”
Some of the students suggested that the University should spend money on building another parking lot, while others have just adjusted their routines to ensure they can find parking.