We of The Picket feel that it is a disservice to students parking will take so long to be addressed by the university.
While it was mentioned in the 2020 campus plan to build a parking garage, until this garage is built, parking will still continue to be an ongoing problem. It is a shame it will take nearly 7 years for the garage to be built, especially since parking has been a crisis for so long.
For one, only a certain portion of students need access to west campus. Other students primarily have most of their classes just on east campus without even going to west campus. Yet, there is only one parking lot on east campus. But because there are several housing buildings on west campus, there are multiple parking lots on west campus. However, keep in mind that Shepherd University is mostly made up of commuters now, so for students to have to fight for a spot in A-Lot, which is the only parking lot on east campus, is pretty ridiculous.
Also, a large portion of the student population at Shepherd has become nontraditional students. These individuals, just like the rest of us, do not have the time to spare to park a few miles away from campus. Those few extra minutes before and after class are precious for work, life and other responsibilities. A parking garage would solve this issue.
The location of the university is also not ideal because of the hilly terrain. Shepherd is not in a temperate, flat environment in which walking to class with books is easy. It is more uncomfortable than that and can deter many students from parking in lots far away from campus.
Due to this inconvenience of parking lots so far away, students have inhabited Shepherdstown, which has caused a rift in the community. Getting tickets are just common, everyday occurrences all because of the ongoing parking situation. For the sake of the student body, we of The Picket feel that something needs to be expedited in regards to this situation and with better execution.