One resident gives her thoughts on the common issue many face in Athens.
This is a common problem complained about amongst students and locals, but why is there an extremely limited amount of parking on campus?
Why is the school raising over a million dollars at the expense of students’ tuition to build an “Academic Advancement Center” exclusively for athletes to use when it doesn’t even have enough spaces on campus to accommodate for commuters and off-campus students?
My friend faced the dilemma at the beginning of the year of having to fight for a legitimate commuter pass. The friend I’m talking about lives at the very end of West State Street, blocks past Miller’s Chicken and the Athens Fairgrounds. She’s 1.3 miles away from campus, which warrants her a commuter pass, by Ohio University Policy. Except for the fact that the OU Driving Range is across from her house and the university considers its lot to be a “commuter lot.” Parking Services told her at the beginning of the year that, because there’s a commuter lot so close, it nulled the “over a mile away” policy for her. Essentially, Parking Services was trying to make it seem logical for her to walk 30 minutes uphill, over a mile, to campus everyday for classes and work.
Eventually, as most students do, she had to submit a different home address in order to finally get her commuter pass. Even then, though, that makes her parking access only to spots downhill — if she can find one.
I suggest that instead of OU spending more money on our unsuccessful athletic programs, they channel that money into making the campus more accessible for all of its students. Aside from my friend’s case, I’ve heard of many other students with leg injuries or disabilities that the university doesn’t help because there are no parking options left.
The car-to-parking-spaces ratio is absurd, and so are OU’s priorities. We need to stop channeling money from the tuitions of all students toward exclusive access for a minority of them and start funding campus renovations that can benefit everyone.
Abby Leppert is an Athens resident.
