The growing frustration over on-campus parking at Saint Anselm is palpable, whether it’s family weekend, homecoming, or a busy campus tour day. With students, faculty, and visitors competing for limited spaces, parking has become a source of ongoing unrest. After family weekend, I took it upon myself to speak with members of the Saint Anselm community about their experiences with on-campus parking and ways to improve. I will share some of these experiences and suggestions with you today. Please note that I haven’t spoken with members of campus security or the administration, so this is not to be considered an impartial opinion. Nonetheless, there’s a feeling in the air that the current parking situation is no longer sustainable – and with the number of significant campus events on the rise, we must take proactive steps to address this issue.

I’ll begin by conceding my bias as a student with a car on campus. Some I’ve spoken to would label me a “part of the larger problem.” However, student parking alone is not the problem … especially on weekends. Instead, major events like family weekends, homecoming, and weddings/events at the Abbey Church tend to attract large crowds, which overwhelm the existing parking infrastructure. During the week, students and staff face regular challenges finding parking near their dorms or offices, especially around peak hours. This leads to students parking in staff lots (particularly the C-shop lot) during unauthorized times. For example, if someone has a meeting at the Abbey Church immediately after class at NHIOP on a Wednesday, they will face a quandary finding parking nearby and making it to the meeting on time. With this in mind, rising tensions between students and campus security over parking tickets, violations, and unclear regulations only exacerbate frustration. Many may wonder, “Without sufficient parking spaces, how do they expect us to make it anywhere on time?!” I focus on the church in particular, because it is a favored venue for weddings and religious functions, and parking for these events is insufficient, creating chaos for those attending (and students on campus).

Thus, many students feel targeted by parking enforcement, and the fines for violations often feel disproportionate to the offense. Miscommunication or unclear directions over where to park during special events complicates the situation. For example, this past family weekend, the parking spots typically reserved for students with “Resident” parking passes were filled. If a student went off campus during the day and returned during the heat of the festivities, where were they supposed to park? Faculty and staff who need parking near their buildings face similar frustrations, with many spots taken by students or visitors during high-traffic times. If they drive off-campus for lunch, they aren’t guaranteed a parking spot when they return. And if they teach a class at LLC … well, they might as well forget it! I observed a car parked beside the Student Center the other week with a note on the dashboard: “Teaching a class in the LLC,” hoping that campus security would pass over their car. While it’s understandable that campus security is trying to maintain order, their enforcement methods can feel aggressive and arbitrary, leading to greater friction on campus. This sentiment is chiefly espoused by those who have paid a substantial fee for the parking pass and are ticketed repeatedly for violations, just as if they had never bought a pass initially. There’s a case to be made that in some instances, parking without a pass can cost you, cumulatively, the same as the pass itself.

The solutions I’ll suggest come from various sources, thus favorability can vary. First and foremost, the administration could look for underused spaces on the periphery of the main campus to create additional parking lots. While it cuts down on natural green space, it keeps parking sequestered to the outer limits of our campus. Another idea, though costly and an eyesore, is a parking garage. A multi-level structure could alleviate pressure by creating more spaces in high-traffic areas, possibly near the Abbey Church and main event venues like the Alumni quad or the Student Center. Besides the cost, another drawback to a parking garage is the awareness and keen driving abilities of those utilizing it (making it the suggestion I find least appealing, personally). Another low-cost option would be introducing incentives for commuting students (and staff) to carpool, thus reducing the number of vehicles on campus. Large events could utilize a shuttle from overflow lots off-campus in nearby locations, further reducing congestion. The most common suggestion I’ve heard, which I have mixed feelings about, is limiting freshmen vehicle access to encourage fewer cars on campus and reserve spots for upperclassmen, faculty, and visitors. When I decided to come to Saint A’s, one of the big draws was that I could have a car on campus during my freshman year. Eliminating this attribute could hurt admissions, although it would clear up about a quarter of the parking spaces on campus. Other suggestions have included implementing special event parking passes (issued for special occasions, like church services, sporting events, and tailgates), improving communication around parking violations by more clearly marking no-parking zones with increased signage, designating specific lots for event parking, and making sure students and staff have separate spaces during high-traffic times of the day. My suggestion, although already in place (to a degree), is temporary directional signage for large events to guide visitors and students to their designated parking zones, reducing confusion and overlap with student parking.

With student, staff, and visitor complaints mounting, it’s time for the administration to acknowledge the growing parking problem and take steps toward lasting solutions. Whether the solution is expanding parking, reducing traffic, or clarifying rules, a comprehensive resolution is needed to ensure that Saint Anselm remains a welcoming and functional campus for everyone.