Letters to the Editor

Parking problem has to be solved by all

Almost every person who has ever been to the University of South Florida knows parking is quite a dilemma. It is even more of a problem as of late.

USF is currently building $1,500 additional parking spaces, but while they are being built there is less parking than ever before. Unfortunately, there are not less students attending USF this semester. It is imperative that the university does something more than just put a dent in the impossible parking situation.

It is true that, a much higher ratio of students at USF commutes everyday rather than live right on campus. On the other hand, part of the whole college experience is moving away from home and learning how to be independent, responsible people. An excellent solution to the parking problem is to require all incoming freshmen to live on campus and not allow them to keep a car on university property. A rule such as this one causes at least two good outcomes. First, the freshmen learn what college life is really like, including being poor and not always having private transportation at their immediate disposal. Second, the rest of the student body and staff have a few more thousand parking spaces to work with throughout the day.

This suggestion is a little harsh, and if accepted and enforced it will turn some students away from choosing USF for furthering their education. These students are narrow-minded and are not willing to try new things. They can (and will) choose different universities and cause parking problems at these schools. All USF students choose to pay good money in some form or another, to learn at the institution. It is the university’s responsibility to ensure all students’ college experiences are worth every penny t they pay. It is unjust to pay $105 per year to come to school an hour and a half early in hopes of finding a parking spot that may not be anywhere near class. This is a great school, but things have to start changing. People must speak up and think of ideas to make USF the most enjoyable and convenient place to learn.

Carey Behnken is a sophomore in majoring in Elementary Education.