By Anna Loughlin Staff Writer
The parking committee has reassigned parking lot assignments for resident and commuter students this year, according to Deputy Chief Martin Laughlin and Chief of Police Joseph Cecchi.
The fee to park on campus for both commuters and residents has been lowered as well. According to Laughlin, this year, Maynard and Union lots are designated for resident students. The Maple and Salem End lots are assigned to commuter students.
“We’re trying to give [Maynard lot] to the classes above - second, third, and fourth years,” said Cecchi.
A number of upperclassmen resident students seem to be happy with the convenience of Maynard lot being closer to residential buildings. However, some students are finding it difficult to actually find spots in which to park.
Michelle Andrade, a sophomore early education major, said she resides on campus and parks in Maynard. “I like that Maynard is close but I can never find parking, and I’m sure most people feel the same way because they really don’t regulate it.
“As someone who comes home from work late, after the RamTram leaves, I never can catch it, so I can't park in Union when Maynard is full,” she added.
Minely Cardoso, a senior criminology major who lives on campus, also parks in Maynard. She said, “I think it's more affordable [the permit price], but it’s still a small parking lot. It doesn’t fit all the students who have a car on campus.”
Jacob Mcintosh, a senior communication arts major, said he parks in Maynard lot as a resident. “I am concerned with the way they manage the parking lots and who they are assigning them to.
“It doesn't seem like they’re taking a parking spot count and comparing it to the number of students who have a parking pass to make sure there's enough spots for everyone.”
According to both Laughlin and Cecchi, the members of the Parking Committee have acknowledged that some students are not parking in their assigned lots, resulting in a lack of available spots.
Laughlin said, “We're actively out there. We're trying to educate students. We want to start with that first, in regards to where you should park.
“But a lot of people don't listen, and we do enforce traffic. We try to start with warnings as an educational piece. We know that the finances can be difficult on students,” said Laughlin.
“We always recommend a student just get your parking permit and please just park in your assigned lot. If people need help signing up for their parking permit, they can always come down or make a phone call [to the University Police office],” said Laughlin.
There are 10 to 13 members on the Parking Committee, including Laughlin and Cecchi.
“What's good about the Parking Committee is you get a diverse perspective. It's not just the police department making that decision. You get people at all different levels, and it's good to have different perspectives on what we might think is good,” said Laughlin.
According to Cecchi, the vote for parking decisions “has to be more or less unanimous. It's unfortunate because Framingham State has a lack of parking. It’s a challenge, and that’s how the staff feels about it, too,” he said.
“We're trying to look at how we can make parking better for residents and commuters, " Laughlin said in reference to the change in parking assignments.
“We do get complaints within the University and we try to use our discretion and do what's right for the students. … We bring these issues up in the Parking Committee meeting to try to figure out somewhat of a solid game plan,” Laughlin added. Along with new parking assignments, prices for parking passes have been lowered to $200 per year for residents and $100 per year for commuters.
Last year’s prices for permits were $500 per year for residents and $200 per year for commuters.
This change was implemented over the summer, according to Laughlin. “The good thing is, it got the students to get the pass. This is a big change from last year, where the prices were so high, but now we have a lot of students who actually got the passes,” said Laughlin.
Jeslie Da Veiga, a senior early education major, said she resides on campus. “Previously, I never paid for a parking pass, but I had to this year due to my tickets.
“The price drop is definitely very beneficial for anybody who paid $500 before and is now paying only $200. That’s a big difference in price,” she said.