In August, the long-awaited parking garage opened to staff, faculty and commuter students. The 137-car structure is expected to solve the parking shortage that had previously plagued Cabrini. According to Joe Fusco, director of public safety, the parking garage is equipped with excellent lighting and security cameras.
Parking for Residential Students
Despite the construction of the parking garage, Cabrini isn’t completely free from its parking problems.
Previously, residents could typically find a parking spot near their dwelling. This year, due to several campus changes and additions, parking on Residential Boulevard is at a premium.
Residents of the Cabrini Apartment Complex, West and South residential halls are particularly feeling the squeeze. Not only do students have to park on the other side of campus near East and Xavier, but it’s become increasingly difficult to find a spot at all.
Senior education major Danielle Basile lives in the Cabrini Apartment Complex and finds that parking has gotten worse.
“It is impossible to find a parking spot at night,” Basile said.
Melissa Bratun, junior business major, expresses more frustration with the parking on Residential Boulevard than Founder’s Hall lot. Although she is a commuter, Bratun frequently parks on Residential Boulevard to visit friends.
“Back by West and South, there are never any spots. I usually have to park by House Three.” Bratun said. “[That’s] how far I have to go and I’m not technically supposed to be parked there.”
For several students, parking on the other side of campus is a merely frustrating inconvenience. Junior biology major Mark Martin finds the parking situation on Residential Boulevard to be a threat to student safety.
“During later hours of the night you have to park very far from the dorms and then you have to that long walk to your dorm,” Martin said. “ That could be very dangerous because there are really no sidewalks.”
He notes that speeding is a common occurrence. “People that drive, they drive fast… on Residential Boulevard all the time.”
Fusco understands the students’ frustration but notes that Public Safety never oversells parking permits.
“Keep in mind that when you buy a parking permit… it’s not guaranteeing you a spot outside of your residence,” Fusco said. “It’s guaranteeing you a spot on Cabrini Univerity’s campus. That could mean anywhere on Residential Boulevard or in Lot B [Dixon Lot]. That’s what the permit says, that’s what they purchased.”
Currently, residents are permitted to park on Residential Boulevard and in the Dixon Center lot. They are not permitted to park in the Founder’s Hall lot.
There are several factors leading to the parking shortage. First, is the lack of parking spaces by South, West and the Apartments. There is a skewed ratio between the building occupancy rate to the number of adjacent parking spaces.
South, West and the Apartments are all high-occupancy buildings, yet there are very few nearby parking spaces to begin with. The recent addition of the 180-bed South Residence Hall merely magnified the problem.
At the moment there are approximately 234 spaces on Residential Boulevard, 13 of which are handicapped spots. Res Life was asked about the current population of residential students but did not comment.
Secondly, Public Safety and Facilities moved into Houses One and Seven respectively. In total, this move took 14 spots away.
As for the number of handicapped spots near entrances? Removing a portion of them is not an option.
To comply with ADA requirements, Cabrini is required to set aside a specific number of handicapped parking spots for every regular spot.
According to Dawn Barnett, director of facilities, there are 1,929 parking spots on campus, 39 of which are reserved for handicapped parking. Also, the ADA mandates that “accessible parking spaces must be located on the shortest accessible route of travel to an accessible facility entrance.”
Can’t residents use the parking garage?
The parking garage is a point of contention for resident students. Currently, they are only allowed to park on Residential Boulevard or in the Dixon Lot. As Basile learned the hard way, the parking garage is off-limits for residents.
Unable to find a single parking space on Residential Boulevard, Basile parked in the garage to attend a late-night meeting in Founder’s Hall. One hour later, she returned to her car and found a parking ticket tucked under her car’s windshield wiper.
“I don’t understand why they spent probably over a million dollars on a parking garage that apparently we can’t even park in,“ Basile said. “It’s ridiculous that even with paying $100 to park we aren’t allowed to park in a parking garage… [it] doesn’t make any sense.”
Bratun expresses disdain for the parking policies.
“If you’re paying for a parking permit, you should be able to park where ever you want on campus,” Bratun said.
Fusco noted that the parking garage was built on the premise of increasing parking spaces for commuters. He remarked that in previous years commuter students would frequently run late to class because they were unable to find a parking space.
“Our commuters are growing exponentially…,” Fusco said, referring to the growing commuter population. “Commuters need additional spaces to be able to go ahead and get to and from classes. It’s a little harder for [commuters] as they’re not on-campus as they are trying to get to a class on time. As opposed to an on-grounds student who is walking from their dorm possibly to a class.”
The parking garage is also closed from midnight to 5 a.m. for safety reasons. Overnight parking is prohibited, which is another reason why residential students are banned from using the garage.
“Parking garages invite areas for people to hide… areas for people to possibly do things that they shouldn’t,” Fusco said. “Drink, deal drugs, lewd behavior….you have a lot of vandalism in parking garages, you have a lot of break-ins in parking garages… we try to minimize [crime] ahead of time by making sure that it’s not overnight parking.”
Parking for Commuters, Faculty and Staff
Faculty, staff and commuter students speak favorably about the improved parking conditions in Founder’s Hall lot.
It’s been an improvement over last year’s cutthroat competition in the parking lot. Last year, during construction, the problem was made even worse when a section of the Founder’s Hall parking lot was closed to accommodate the construction crew building the parking garage. To make up for this loss, 70 faculty and staff parked off-campus.
Despite these measures, finding a parking spot was a battle for the survival of the fittest. Faculty, staff and students battled to snag an open spot. By 9:30 a.m. the lot was filled and remained full until the late afternoon. The new parking garage has alleviated the need for such a battle in Founder’s Lot thus far.
Parking for staff
Sonja Caraus-Haus, assistant to the dean of the School of Business, Arts and Media, has not had any parking issues at all this year.
“I park right in the parking garage, and walk right over into Founder’s,” Caraus-Haus said.
Donald DiPaulo, associate director of Field and Student Experiences, also has no trouble parking.
“There’s always a spot there,” DePaulo said referring to the parking garage.
Mary Lou Denesowicz, assistant to the dean of social sciences and humanities, also has had no trouble parking. She notes that it’s also due to her early arrival in the mornings.
Parking for commuters
Commuters have an easier and improved parking experience this year. It’s been easy to find a spot in Founder’s Hall lot at practically any hour of the day.
Gillian Copestick, junior education major, notes that when she arrives for her 8:15 a.m class she can find a parking spot right by the entrance of Founder’s Hall. When leaving campus at 7 p.m., she mentions that there are plenty of spots available.
Rocio Gonzalez, junior political science major, has found parking this year to be easier than last year. She typically arrives around noon and can snag a spot from people who are leaving for lunch or getting out of class.
Melissa Bratun, junior business major, notes that she’s skeptical about taking advantage of the parking garage. She’s heard of several commuters who’ve gotten ticketed in the parking garage.
Fusco notes that commuters can utilize the parking garage.
“Commuters are able to park in the garage with a proper permit,” Fusco said. “If someone has received a ticket and they have a permit I would encourage them to reach out to me so I may fix the issue.
Overall, faculty, staff and commuter students feel are pleased with the current parking situation on campus. The parking garage has solved most of Cabrini’s parking problems. However, residents are frustrated with the parking shortage on Residential Boulevard and the campus parking policies.
