Taylor Powell | Opinion Editor
The number of Residential College parking spaces has decreased due to the inadequate removal of street snow in addition to the already limited parking spots available to building residents.
Large heaps of snow that have since turned into mounds of ice now occupy a significant amount of parallel-parking spots for B permit holders living in ResCo.
These piles of snow are the result of plowing the road after a large amount of snow covered Butler University during winter break.
“You plow these mounds with the intent that they will melt eventually,” Butler University Assistant Police Chief Bill Weber said.
However, the mounds of snow have not melted, and there seems to be no alternate solution in place for ResCo residents to get their parking spaces back.
Some students have been brave enough to park next to the heaps of snow, leaving their cars far more into the street than the parking spaces itself.
In most cases the spots are unable to be used.
Butler University Police Department did not ticket students whose cars were not flush to the curb the first week of classes, Weber said. But it is hard for one to believe that the mounds will be melting anytime soon after looking at the ResCo parking lot.
In addition to the parking spaces occupied by snow, ResCo parking is already lacking.
Students race their cars into the back parking lot in hopes of beating another car to an open spot. Meanwhile, the A and C permit parking located behind ResCo, remains almost always empty after 5 p.m. These lots should be open to B permits when they are not needed for events at Clowes or Hinkle.
Otherwise, students who live at ResCo are forced to park behind Ross or Schwitzer Halls—buildings that seem to have significantly more parking than ResCo.
Yes, the walk from Schwitzer to ResCo is not that far compared to larger universities with further away parking. However, if the majority of freshmen can park adjacent to their residence halls, sophomores should be able to do the same.
There is a misallocation of parking spots per building at Butler, and the administration should reassess how many parking spots are easily available to ResCo students.
As of now, Weber said he does not anticipate any additional parking spaces to be opened in the ResCo lot.
With regard to the snow, Weber said students will just have to wait until the giant mounds of snow and ice melt.
