Christopher Newport University has tons of amazing, wonderful qualities, such as its beautiful landscape, the kind faculty and its incredible programs. All make CNU an ideal choice for many young prospective students. However, nothing is perfect, clearly. For CNU, its fatal flaw is parking.
Starting Thursday, Nov. 14 at 10PM and not ending until 8PM Friday, Nov. 15, there was an unfortunately timed football game that caused lot closures in Lots I1 and I2 (Sports Complex) and Lots K and L (Potomac River). To “accommodate” the lack of parking, shuttle buses ran from the Ferguson parking deck to drop off at Gates of Honor and at Lot D1 (Luter Lot) behind Freeman.
41 minutes after the start of many students’ 8AM lectures, CNU released an email on Nov. 18 that there would be a parking shortage on campus due to a non-CNU event at the Ferguson Center. CNU stated that free parking is available today at the Mariners’ Museum for CNU students, faculty and staff. Oh, but don’t worry, free shuttle buses were provided to transport students from the Mariners’ Museum to campus running long after the event concluded.
On Nov. 20, portions of parking Lot I1 (Sports Complex) were closed due to Ratcliffe Hall undergoing roof repairs. Students were encouraged to use Lot F (Ferguson Center Parking Deck) instead. CNU Parking Services stated that decaled vehicles registered for Main Campus would not be ticketed for parking in Lot F, but would possibly be required to “relocate to accommodate campus events.”
Is this a joke? Genuinely, someone please tell me this is a joke. $275.00 for a parking pass for spots you’re not even guaranteed to park in. Respectfully, but also disrespectfully I am not paying to take a shuttle bus across campus. I’m paying for parking on the main campus. On a good day, it is still a constant battle for students to find parking, predominantly affecting commuter students.
How do we solve this problem on a campus with extremely limited space to expand parking to begin with? Maybe, just maybe, we stop over selling parking spots, we stop selling parking spots to freshmen and stop closing lots for non-CNU events that push out students who have already paid for their spot.
As for football, I understand there is nowhere else for tailgates to be hosted, but to be totally honest I do not attend CNU for its D3 football team. As a resident of Potomac River Hall, I am so tired of waking up to another email about how Lots K and L are closed once again and I’ll need to hunt for parking if I can even find a space. Not only does this severely impact commuters, who by the way also pay the same whopping $275 decal price that every other student pays even though their vehicles spend less time on campus, but it’s simply disrespectful to every student who is not getting what they paid for. It’s like, “good morning, CNU! Please take the time to move your vehicles from the spot you paid for so we can use the spaces you’re paying for, for other things! Don’t have time? Can’t find a space? That sucks, here’s a ticket, because we want even more of your money! Oh and by the way, we’re raising the cost of tuition! Have a great day.”
I get it, there are far and few options for parking developments due to where CNU is located, however, that’s not my problem to solve. Nor should it be a problem for any student who is already paying for their parking space. I am so beyond fed up with the parking situation here at CNU. This school is great at many things, its parking situation is certainly not one of them.
