Parking on campus at Texas A&M University – Commerce has been a hot topic of discussion this fall, and many students are not satisfied with the current situation.

A&M – Commerce is growing, and is bigger now than it has ever been.  This growth is shown in the size of the most recent class of freshmen accepted, and also by the new construction occurring all around campus.  However, one area that has not seen growth in a fair amount of time is parking.  

The financial services office was unable to release any information regarding the specific increase in number of parking permits sold this year compared to years previous, but the difference is obvious when observing the crowded lots across the university.

Many students struggle to find parking near the location of their classes, and therefore are forced to walk long distances.  This may not seem like a big deal, until you consider that many students at A&M – Commerce are already commuting good distances by car already.

“Compared to the last few semesters I was here, it hasn’t been too good because of all of the construction going on,” Ryan Kallenbach, a commuter student at the university said. “It’s definitely been a struggle to find parking.”

Adding to the struggle of locating a parking spot, many of the spaces surrounding West/Family Housing and the Morris Recreation Center are also unavailable due to construction.

“I think that it is ridiculous that we have to pay $40 to park somewhere 2 miles away, or in my case, to park off campus,” Dakota Wright, an on-campus student said.

To avoid walking across campus at night, many students who live in Phase II, Pride Rock, and West Hall have started to park in the residential neighborhood adjacent to the dormitories, which brings into question the point of purchasing a parking permit.

“I usually park right across the street from my dorm, and that’s not on campus,” Wright said.  “It’s in front of neighbors’ yards, and they are getting very upset with people parking there.”

Parking in residential areas where students do not own property is not an appropriate solution to the current parking issues, but for some it is necessary to avoid being put in possibly dangerous situations.