As outdoor spring sports begin, another competition starts for Swanson and Purcell residents – the parking challenge.
When the lacrosse, baseball and softball teams play home games, the parking challenge begins as the parking spaces around Swanson and Purcell become occupied by those attending the game. We love our student-athletes, and we love the atmosphere that families and other Lions fans bring to our campus. However, during games, students who need to get back to their dorm rooms struggle to find parking spaces at their halls.
Junior Michelle Cates, a student-athlete herself, recalls how difficult it was for her to find parking when she lived at Purcell.
“It’s impossible to find parking on any weekend – everyone’s parents, grandparents and significant others are taking up the parking. I paid to live in the dorm. I should be able to come and go as I please.”
This is a problem.
While people who attend games like the proximity of these residential parking lots to the Walker Athletic Complex, taking up those spaces is unfair for the students who live in Swanson and Purcell. This is their home. Imagine going grocery shopping and discovering that you must park far away from your home. Carrying your groceries several blocks from your car to your residence.
This problem is easy to solve.
There are plenty of parking spots at the Johnny Mize Center, which is the preferred parking lot for athletic event spectators. Yes, there are a lot of stairs in order to get down to the Walker Athletic Complex and Loudermilk Field; however, there is a shortcut for cutting through the Mize. When that lot fills up, there are other areas on campus that can offer extra parking. On the weekends, parking spaces around the Commons are typically open, especially in the red lot across the baseball field.
Piedmont should place appropriate signage on game days instructing fans where to park, and threatening tickets to those who park in residential lots who do not have a permit.
Residential lots are and should be for residents.
