Does Marist Have a Parking Shortage?

Christina Bonarrigo '24 loves her car (and the parking spot she's found for it). Source: Cassandra Arencibia '24

The remodeling of the Dyson Center brings exciting change to the Marist College campus. However, for the student body, these renovations can interfere with student parking. 

Since classes can’t be held in Dyson, 51 Fulton is housing classes that would normally take place in Dyson. This means that the parking lot for 51 Fulton, which would typically be open to student parking, is now reserved for faculty only. 

Kirsten Mattern ’24, has had her vehicle on campus since last year. She stated that resident parking has always been poor, but this semester seems worse due to the lack of academic parking. Mattern stated she doesn’t bother driving her car around campus, not only because she will lose the spot she originally had, but because it is almost impossible to guarantee a parking spot near wherever she is traveling to.

Christina Bonnarigo ’24, expressed a similar sentiment. When asked if she drove her car on or off campus more, Bonnarigo stated she drove off campus more. “Knowing how packed the other lots are, I have that fear of driving to class and not being able to find a spot. I’d rather walk 20 minutes.” 

Bonnarigo had no tips for trying to find or save parking; she instead quipped that “There’s really no tricks to finding parking; you just get lucky!”

Both girls commented on the fact that the signs outside of each lot were extremely confusing, with Donnelly being a particular source of confusion. Bonnarigo heard from other people that parking at night was allowed in Donnelly, but because that information did not come from the school, she has not parked in Donnelly at all.

Resident students are not the only ones impacted by parking. Cheyenna Kimball ’23, began her time at Marist this semester. For Kimball, her car is a necessity. Kimball stated that driving the 40-50 minutes from home was more convenient than commuting on the train. Despite having her car with her on campus at all times, Kimball stated that she does not bother moving her car from its place, which is usually in Riverview. Kimball also noted that the signs in the main area of campus did not feature the C symbol, meaning commuter students were not allowed to park there. Kimball stated she was late to class once due to misjudging how long it would take her to walk from her parking spot to class.

Wanting to get a full view of the parking situation at Marist, I also interviewed John Blaisdell, Director of Safety and Security, with Eileen Connolley, Administrative Assistant. Blaisdell stated that while he wished the parking situation at Marist could remain constant throughout the years, varying changes on campus often require lots to be modified in terms of who can and cannot park there. This semester the changes are due to the construction of Dyson. Blaisdell explained that roughly 150 parking spots designated for faculty were lost once construction on Dyson began, making it his first priority to find new spots for faculty. 

An example of a parking sign commonly seen around campus, along with the symbols. Source: Cassandra Arencibia '24

This is where 51 Fulton comes into play. The 51 Fulton parking lot is now reserved for faculty to replace the lost 150 parking spots. When I asked Blaisdell if he believed there was a parking shortage, he stated that he didn’t. He agreed that parking can be difficult, but not because of a lack of spots but due to the fact that certain areas become extremely packed during certain class hours. 

Both he and Connolley advised that students should schedule to drive to parking lots earlier if they would not like to walk to class. Blaisdell encouraged students to give themselves some extra time before class to find a parking spot. He also noted that as the semester continues, parking will become easier as students learn what times are busy, what lots may have more spots and so on.

The issue of parking is pressing, especially for those who brought their cars onto campus expecting a surplus of spots. To avoid losing time looking for parking, leave a few minutes earlier if you are in desperate need of driving to class. As Blaisdell said, it is the very beginning of the semester, and this can cause parking to be hectic.