Kennesaw State needs to address the issue on everyone’s mind: the lack of parking. KSU must take measures to alleviate the problem, such as implementing a widely used and supported measure prohibiting first-year students from parking on campus.
In recent years, KSU has experienced a major population boom causing issues with the pre-existing infrastructure such as the parking decks. Every semester, students are finding that parking spaces are less and less available – particularly in the Central and West Decks. This has students resorting to a variety of methods to park such as parallel parking along the ramp or often parking in faculty spots.
These instances often lead to fines on the students even though they have active parking permits. This also decreases the number of available spots for the faculty, causing problems for classes.
First-year students make up over 19%, or over 8,600 students in a total student population of 45,152. This is an increase of 56% from the Fall 2018 number of 4,784 first-year students, according to KSU. The amount of spaces is limited with only 16,216 parking spots available between both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses. By prohibiting first-year students from parking on campus, KSU could significantly reduce the number of occupied spots.
Several major universities already prohibit first-year students from parking on campus in favor of requiring first-year students to live in dorms.
In 2019, San Diego State University prohibited first-year students who live on campus from having a parking permit.
“We want to make sure we serve our commuter students,” SDSU Dean of Students Randy Timm said in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune. “If they show up and can’t find a parking spot, they’ll leave. We don’t want that.”
A similar policy could be enacted at KSU and could motivate students to live on campus during their first year. Dorm life has long been considered a seminal part of the college experience. Not only by being on campus will students not need to have a car, but it offers students the chance to become closer to their community.
Even if students are unable to secure a dorm there are several student apartment complexes near campus such as The Blake or West 22. Most university-associated apartments have access to the Big Owl Bus. Students living in the student apartments could utilize the BOB to get to and from school.
KSU has historically been a commuter college for non-traditional students, but this influx of traditional students necessitates a change. KSU must rethink its old policies and improve its existing infrastructure to accommodate the future while serving its past. No matter what they choose, KSU will have to find a solution to the lack of parking.
You can find more information about the University’s official policies on the KSU website.
