As students and faculty settle into a school routine, they are finding that parking is an issue. 

As of fall, student enrollment surpassed 14,500, ETSU University Relations reported. The increase in student population has resulted in a decrease in the availability of parking.

Lance Parsons, 23, real estate finance major, usually parks near the tennis courts.  When he gets to campus around 8 a.m., it usually takes about 10 minutes to find a parking spot and he hasn’t been late to class because of parking, he said.  “I leave early because I know parking is bad,” said Parsons.  “And I know I’m going to have to walk for a while to get to class.”

The main reason for the parking issue continuing to be a problem is because the student population continues to grow, Parsons said. “When I walk by the faculty parking lots, they’re usually half empty,” Parsons said.  “This is what they should do: Some students should be able to pay an extra fee to park in the empty faculty spots to help compensate for the increasing student population.”

Some students have had different experiences with parking. Sarah Munal, 23, a business management major, finds herself having to park close to the new parking construction past Bojangles. 

Munal has been late to class this semester due to parking, she said.  “Last year I was able to park about five minutes away from class,” Munal said. “This year I have to park about 15 minutes away. I have stopped trying to drive around and look for a close parking spot. I just drive to where I know will be vacant spots, which is not close at all.”

Some students who live close to campus are using a different method in dealing with the parking problem. Public health major, Samantha Vandyke, 20, has decided to just remain parked at Upper Class where she lives and walk to campus. “I just walk so I don’t have to deal with the parking issue,” Vandyke said. “If I could find a closer parking spot on campus without running the risk of being late to class, I would, because I hate walking.”

While some students and faculty see parking as a big problem, some administrators are not as concerned as other terms.  The parking situation was actually better this fall, says Bill Rasnick, associate vice president of Facilities Management Planning and Construction. “I don’t think it is more of a problem in comparison to last year. Last year, there were times at peak that there was literally not a space open, and that hasn’t been the case this year.”

By the third or fourth week of the semester, the parking problem goes away, Rasnick said. “The first two to three weeks are the measuring stick to see where we are,” he said. “Then we step back and look at where we’ll be at in the next three to four years due to future growth.”

“The question really becomes are you willing to pay more to park close, if so then the answer is a parking garage internally on campus,” Rasnick said. “If you don’t want to pay more, then parking in the remote spots and using the shuttle system is the answer.

“People don’t like change in general, but there’s going to be changes in a lot of different things because of growth, and parking is one of them.”

A new parking lot being built as an extension of lot 22 on the west end of campus will have more than 300 parking spaces, Rasnick said. “The original plan was to have it done by the time school started [in fall 2009], but the rain shut it down,” he said.

Parking is always a concern, especially with the growth ETSU is experiencing, he said.  ETSU administrators have devised a master plan for parking, completed last spring. “The parking master plan had a couple concepts in there,” Rasnick said. “One of those talked about faculty and student parking. The discussion was that the concept came back to ‘Are you willing to pay?’  But it was just a concept.” 

A mix of commuter and resident parking is another option, he said. “Here’s the fundamental question,” Rasnick said. “Should the residents have to park in the remote parking spots so that commuters can park closer?”

Vernon Bradley, Parking Services director, said that at this point the only change that they have done is the registration process. “This year, the students registered for the parking decal whereas before they just got a decal.” Bradley said. “This has helped us have a better idea of how many are on campus.”

“What we’re trying to do is get everyone in and registered, the faculty started registering for parking decals last week,” Bradley said.

Dr. Kelly Atkins, assistant professor of Department of Management and Marketing, has made adjustments to her schedule because of parking difficulties.  “I get to campus at 7:15 so that I don’t have to deal with it,” said Atkins.  “I make it a point to arrive early.”

Some students, she said, are resorting to some extreme measures while adjusting to the lack of parking.

“I have noticed that students are parking on the Tree Streets,” said Atkins.  “Parking on the Tree Streets is insane.”