Neil Frawley, Senior Communication Major:
“If it was convenient, and I would have easier access to my vehicle, I would consider parking off campus. There would need to be a more consistent way to get back and forth in a timely manner.”
Mustafa Abubaker, Senior English Major:
“I already park off campus. I moved off campus in August, and the bridge lets me walk from Busbee Drive. I don’t have to fight over parking spaces. I used to park in the central deck, but it was like a zoo. I prefer parking off campus entirely.”
Lexis Williams and Toni Edwards, Senior Journalism Majors:
“We try to park on campus, but there’s really no reason to even buy the parking sticker. Half of the time, the deck we’re assigned to is full. They keep the gates up, so anyone can park in any deck. It doesn’t help. Typically, it takes about thirty minutes to park. Often, we end up in parking decks that we were not assigned to because ours are full. We both live off campus and work after class, so we need immediate access to our vehicles. They spent all this money renovating the library, but it was fine before. They should have spent the money on upgrading the decks.”
Beau Johnson, Senior English Major:
“Parking is terrible. West deck is my deck, but it’s always full…I’ve seen people give up and park in the dirt just to come out to a ticket on their windshield.”
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Kennesaw State University’s current parking situation has been under scrutiny since last semester as KSU continued to merge with Southern Polytechnic State University. It’s great that we have a newly renovated library and new recreational center, but some students like me are wondering if KSU should focus on more immediate problems like parking. And why are students getting ticketed, at a minimum of $35, after they have grown desperate and parked out-of-the-way on dirt patches?
Parking off campus is a great option, but it is inconvenient for students like myself who have to go to work after class ends. The BOB’s schedule isn’t conducive to mine. Instead of trying to help me in my situation, I feel KSU is making more money from the fact that I have nowhere else to park because the deck is full and I have no access to other decks.
Now that the rec center is completed and the renovations on the library are finishing up, it would be a good time for KSU to turn their attention toward the parking decks. Build them up a few more levels. It would also help to keep the parking deck gates down. If you don’t have the decal for that deck, you shouldn’t be able to park there. We are given a chance to choose our decks before the semester starts, and that should be enforced more.