Starting in the Fall semester of 2016, Cabrini will be implementing a zoned parking policy. Zoned parking is a simple idea, in which students are grouped based on their grade, then each group is designated to a certain parking lot.
In the past few years, juniors and seniors were losing parking spots to the underclassmen on campus with cars. Complaints came from upperclassmen residents and made its way to the student leaders on campus.
This change initiative came from the the Student Government Association on campus beginning back in the fall of 2014. The issue was brought to attention by a group of upperclassman, Danton Moyer ’16, Georgie Nave ’16 and Colin Kilroy ’16. Kilroy then became the parking committee chair.
“Our original idea was actually zoned parking,” said Kilroy. “We took that to public safety and were told it was not a feasible, and we were basically shut down.”
Sal Ardizzone ’17, joined the committee to change parking structure on campus. “On move-in day that year I saw all the people parallel parked,” said Ardizzone, “and I thought why don’t we do this?”
According the Ardizzone, the next idea of of the committee was to use parallel parking along Residential Boulevard. “We were outside measuring out every spot, calculating each space, trying to see what worked,” said Ardizzone. “And we finally got everything together and set up a meeting, and we were still shut down.”
When the idea began with new parking zones, Creig Doyle, the director of public safety at the time, shut down the project for logistical reasons. After Doyle left last year, Fusco became director.
“When we went in to our first interview with new Public Safety Director, we proposed the new idea of parallel parking, and because of problems campus traffic flow he shut us down,” Kilroy said. “But then it was Fusco who brought back up the idea of zoned parking, and we circled back around and went with that plan.”
“SGA wanted to find a way to improve parking on campus,” Fusco said. “After calibrating with SGA the zoned parking was approved and set in motion.” The zones on campus include the West Zone Lot, the East Zone Lot and the Dixon Center Lot.
The way the zones are plotted, juniors and seniors are designated to park in the West Zone Lot. All sophomores are designated to park in the East Zone Lot. All Freshman, commuter students, as well as guests, are designated to park in the Dixon Center Lot.
Each student with a car on campus is required to purchase a parking pass. The parking pass has a color indicator, to show where the student is allowed to be parked.
The new system also greatly benefits commuters as the price of a parking pass has decreased. Effective this year, it costs $55 for a commuter to park on campus as opposed to $105 last year. For residents, the cost of a year-long pass is $95, instead of the $105 from last year.
“It’s the upperclassmen who have stayed at Cabrini for three and four years, and put so much work in that are the priority,” Ardizzone said. “It’s people like that who I felt deserved a thank you.”
