I’ve found that it’s cheaper to get an Uber to drop you off on campus than to pay for a parking ticket. This past week, in fact, I couldn’t find a spot, so I got an Uber for $11.92. On the bright side, I’m supporting someone’s side hustle. But I shouldn’t have to resort to that to get to class. And neither should you.
Parking has simply gotten out of control on campus for commuters. I’m certainly not the first to say this, and I don’t think I’ll be the last. There’s no conclusive data that I was able to find on how many parking spots are available to commuters, but a standard commuter parking permit will allow you to park in ten lots, and a different permit is needed for 411 Ellis Street parking. Based on last year’s USNews data, I can estimate that around 14,000 to 15,000 students live off-campus, and a fair number of them will expect to park their cars on campus.
While Rowan’s commuter population is growing, Rowan keeps building new buildings on the graves of former parking lots. The land under Discovery Hall, Business Hall, and Holly Pointe used to be larger portions of parking lots. Discovery Hall was once a larger Lot J, Business Hall was once Lot A, and Holly Pointe was mostly Lot X.
In short, Rowan keeps accepting students only to remove parking spaces for them to park in.
As much as we commuters don’t want to hear this, Rowan is more profitable when they don’t have enough parking. At the end of the day, Rowan University is a business.
No major investor wants to have a parking lot named after them. I get it–it looks tacky. I can’t imagine there being an Edelman parking lot. Until that day comes, if Rowan wanted more parking, they would have to pay for it themselves or crowdfund it. But Rowan benefits from having abysmal parking.
For example, they make money from tickets. I’ve never gotten one because I refuse to get a ticket when I don’t live that far from campus in the first place. If I can’t find a spot, I drive home and get an Uber. It’s few and far between, but it happens.
I pay 140 dollars a year for parking. I find this incredibly reasonable for a whole year of parking, especially when you consider how expensive other schools’ parking permits can be. However, I expect there to be spots to park in.
It’s a part of our culture, that’s for certain. I’ve already had a couple of classes where my professors have sent a Canvas update while trying to park on campus, while the class collectively wonders if we’re allowed to leave at the fifteen-minute mark.
I shouldn’t have to park in Lot C every day by 9:30 a.m. to guarantee I get to my 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. classes. This schedule keeps me regimented–for better or worse.
In my opinion, what Rowan should do is take advantage of the Glassboro Intermediate School, acquired in 2022, on Delsea Drive right off of campus. Instead of making that land academic buildings, they should create a parking center. While garages are a more expensive task, I think a few extra lots on that land with a welcome gate like Memorial Circle could be a great use of the space.
That idea wouldn’t outright fix the problem, but a couple thousand more spots would certainly help. I would easily pay extra for a guaranteed spot. Rowan University–please take my money. I’m sure plenty of commuters would pay more if they had a guaranteed spot, and I know many students would rather pay more up front than to pay multiple 70 dollar tickets throughout the year for parking illegally somewhere else in Glassboro.
It’s not the fault of the Rowan police for issuing tickets; it’s an issue that runs deeper. The Rowan parking patrol is just doing their jobs, and I can’t fault them for that. They serve a system where needs aren’t being met on a larger level. If Rowan wants to improve the lives of their majority commuter population, they would need to properly allocate resources to produce more spaces to park. There’s much more buzz around constructing new shiny buildings than a simple lot with lines.
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