In the Mar. 6 issue of “The Outlook,” the article “Commuter Students Struggle with Lack of Parking” was published. Since then, “The Outlook” has received insight from the Monmouth University Police Department’s (MUPD) Chief Carlos Ortiz about the parking difficulty that some commuter students face.
Citing students’ opinions in the aforementioned “Outlook” article, most commuter students experience full parking lots at midday during the week. Chief Ortiz explained, “Parking lots can fill up completely on some days due to a variety of factors, such as special events on campus, increased class schedules during certain times of the semester, or simply a higher number of students and faculty on campus on a particular day.”
“One possible solution,” he continued, “could be encouraging everyone to park in designated parking areas and consider alternative modes of transportation such as biking if you are an on-campus resident. Students, especially commuters, could consider arriving on campus earlier to secure a parking space or carpooling with other students.”
Figure 1
According to a survey of 100 random commuter students conducted by “The Outlook,” 85 percent of commuters believe that there is a parking problem on campus (Figure 1). To mitigate the “perceived” parking problem, Chief Ortiz explained that MUPD aims to enhance communication with the University community regarding parking tips, regulations, and parking options; to increase enforcement of parking restrictions, such as residents parking in commuter lots; and to collaborate with faculty and student organizations to gather feedback about campus concerns.
Chief Ortiz concluded by encouraging anybody with feedback or suggestions concerning parking at Monmouth to contact the Traffic Office.
