Katie Bradham // Alumna
Parking on campus is not as bad as others may make it seem.
My experience with Clemson parking has been simple and smooth, and I do not understand the source of the complaints.
As a junior here on campus, I have been parking on campus for nearly two years, and it is not nearly as bad as students on this campus like to claim. As a freshman, I heard parking on campus would be adjacent to a Marvel Cinematic Universe-style final battle where only the fastest get their spots.
However, as a first-time commuter, I pulled into the C-1 commuter lot and found many parking spots. When I first parked in the lot, I was convinced it was a fluke and that the next day, there would be cars zipping through the columns of the lot, all trying to find a spot. But, as the year went on, and I continued to park at various times, I somehow always found a spot.
Since I was always parking in C-1, I figured my fellow commuters in the C-2 and C-3 commuter lots were getting the short end of the stick. But, when I started parking there, I found that it was an even easier experience to find a spot.
This finding that there were spots readily available perplexed me. There is an echo chamber about parking on this campus, and students will claim it is so horrible without trying to make it easier for themselves. I understand that the lots are far away and often require treks around campus that can feel like the Himalayan mountains.
To combat this, though, an expansive and intricate bus network has worked great in my time here, making getting to class from the lots relatively easy. There is also the Park-N-Ride, which always has many spots and buses ready to take you to campus.
I may not understand the wide-ranging negative discourse about parking on this campus, but I sympathize with those who call for more metered spots and those who call for reforms to the institution of parking services. The fact remains, however, that commuter lots have plenty of space and are often over-criticized.
Jack Kinder is a junior sociology major from Ocala, Florida. Jack can be reached at [email protected].