Here's how we tackle the parking problem
Parking is a common point of discussion at AU. (photo by Rakiyah Lenon)
By Rakiyah Lenon | Editor in chief
In case you missed it, people like to talk about parking at Augusta University.
In my earlier days of college, I had many classes online, which didn’t require me to be on campus as much as I do now. I live a short drive from campus, so it was easy for my parents to drop me off and pick me up whenever I did have in-person classes or meetings.
This semester, I started driving my own vehicle back and forth to classes more consistently. I’ve been getting the routine, making detours, noticing the higher gas prices and ultimately, parking.
Warning. What I’m about to say might be controversial to some readers.
Parking on AU’s Summerville Campus isn’t that bad.
Okay, okay, I get it. I’m not a veteran to the parking thing, so my viewpoint would obviously differ from others who have had to park on campus for a while, but from the experience I’ve had this semester, it doesn’t seem to be as bad as I’ve always heard.
I obviously don’t want to speak too soon because the moment I say that, things could become crazy.
Why isn’t it that bad, you ask?
I notice that there are often multiple spaces earlier in the mornings. It might not be the closest parking space to the building where you have class, but it’s not too long of a walk. I’ll admit, some portions of the afternoons can be a bit hectic, but nothing a little patience can’t fix.
Patience. Medical personnel have patients, but everyone has patience. Or at least we should.
Far too many times have we seen news articles about violent road rage and parking scuffles. If we practice a little more patience, we can be calmer and recognize that our mental health and physical well-being are far more important than being up in arms about a parking space.
Getting to campus earlier than the time your class starts can help too. It can help you be more settled and feel less rushed if you budget for more time earlier in your schedule.
Of course, I can’t say parking isn’t an issue on the Health Sciences Campus. Finding parking there is rather challenging. Discussions about building new parking decks and providing more parking lots have been in the rounds, and I think it would be of benefit to the AU community in the rapidly growing area.
Overall, parking means a lot to us at AU. Get it? A lot? Parking lot? I’ll stop. But we should give each other space--okay, I’ll really stop, to recognize that we’re all here to learn and grow, and parking shouldn’t be something that stops that.
Contact Rakiyah Lenon at rlenon@augusta.edu.
This story is published in the Monday, Feb. 20, 2023 print edition of The Bell Ringer on page 2.
