A parking ticket on the windshield a student’s car I Pacer Photo / Erika O’Brien
Many beneficial and positive changes have happened to the UT Martin campus in the past year. The construction of the Blaylock Inspiration Oracle building promises a new, unique classroom and meeting setting, and clearance of areas such as the Grove apartment buildings and the Elam Center pool offers potential for numerous projects to further enhance the campus. Among these changes, however, students at UT Martin are speaking about another improvement they’d also like to see: better parking
on campus.
Firstly, a general lack of parking is a complaint voiced by many students at UT Martin. It’s often stated by non-commuters that plenty of parking spots in their dormitory lots are taken by
drivers of neighboring resident halls, forcing them to either park a further distance or, continuing a chaotic and frustrating domino effect, park in the lot of another dormitory. Campus- wide, there are countless issues reported that commuting students take non-commuting parking simply due to there being few parking lots set aside for commuters, as well as even some accounts of staff parking in student lots.
Frequently commented on as well is the confusion caused by the shortage of directional signs. Many students agree there should be more signs indicating which streets lead to where on campus, as well as more signs clearly indicating where and when one may park in a certain lot or particular parking space.
Especially for first-years, visitors, or parents coming to campus, not having more signs to navigate the Martin grounds makes driving the unfamiliar roads complicated and stressful. Particularly infamous cases of much-needed signs on campus are found in the Cooper Hall resident lot and the unrestricted Latimer-Smith lot. Both parking lots contain a spots that is a “no parking” zone, though there are no signs or noticeable lines indicating parking is restricted. It’s clear some form of indication is strongly needed, however, as observed by new drivers (victims, perhaps?) found in these “no parking” zones almost daily. The charge for parking in a “no parking” zone is a 30 dollar fee, which very well can double or triple in amount for every day a vehicle remains in that zone.
The absence of painted lines on campus parking lots tend to cause an equal amount of confusion for all drivers, not just for those unfamiliar with UT Martin. Vehicles enter most parking lots through what they believe to be the correct entrance, only to find out it was not, in fact, only as they are faced with an exiting vehicle and an awkward space to get themselves out of the situation from. Students believe the application of arrows explicitly defining where one enters and exits a parking lot would greatly improve this common inconvenience on campus.
For all of the beneficial changes occurring on campus at UT Martin, administration should continue improving the campus by improving the setting in which their students and staff must drive in daily. Increased parking, clearer directions, and the elimination of parking money-traps is a rising demand that, as UT Martin grows, should be accommodated to with haste.
